Louis van Gaal is never going to pass up the opportunity to have a dig at his old Manchester United boss Ed Woodward and he got his shots in once again this week.
All of United's four permanent managers under Woodward have an axe to grind one way or another with the club, but Van Gaal is probably the most critical in public and it's usually the former executive vice-chairman in the cross hairs.
When the current Holland manager was asked about Erik ten Hag moving to United a couple of months ago he told him to "choose a football club and not a commercial club", advice that Ten Hag might have taken on board but didn't pay too much attention to.
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When the 52-year-old was unveiled by United the day after a dreadful season had ended, he revealed he had spoken to Van Gaal but that football was "one, two and three" at this club and he sounded bullish about his prospects of achieving success at Old Trafford, even if that had eluded David Moyes, Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ten Hag is now taking a break after settling in at United and he has spoken to Van Gaal since, and clearly repeated his confidence that the structure was in place for a new manager to succeed.
"I have spoken [to him]. There is now a new leadership, it was Woodward and now it is Richard Arnold," Van Gaal told Voetball International. "And that can make the difference, so we have to wait and see. He [Ten Hag] has a lot of confidence. So who am I to say something about that?"
That's a u-turn from Van Gaal's initial position and suggests Ten Hag has been positive in his description of the club that he has walked into. It also fits with the outside image of what Arnold has done since taking over as chief executive on February 1.
Van Gaal had previously described Woodward as "somebody with zero understanding of football", but he remained a prominent figure in the running of the club and United were treading water for much of his reign.
Arnold has taken a back seat when it comes to the football side of the business. He has empowered football director John Murtough, who is now working closely with Ten Hag and is leading on recruitment this summer.
The axe that has been swinging through the club since Arnold took over suggests a plan to streamline operations and it has certainly been a proactive approach in his first four months.
The jury will remain out for now but the fact Van Gaal is even acknowledging the possibility of change should be encouraging for United.
For Ten Hag, the success of his first season in charge may well depend on how United's recruitment goes this summer, and that is going to be a significant test for Murtough, but United's new leadership is certainly making progress.
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