Ralf Rangnick may be relieved to see the finish line in sight at Manchester United given the drama at the club as he approaches his final few weeks in charge.
The German has already waved goodbye to the home fans at Old Trafford as United won 3-0 against Brentford on Monday, and Rangnick also allowed Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic to have the send-off that they deserve. The two midfielders are both leaving United in the summer, with Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard expected to follow.
But Lingard wasn't given the same treatment by Rangnick, prompting the midfielder's brother to blast the club on Instagram, although the German has now revealed the truth behind the situation. However, Lingard's rift is just the latest in a long line of player vs manager battles at United, highlighting the true scale of incoming boss Erik ten Hag's task.
It is expected to be a summer of mass change at United, with several stars set to leave the club as well as potential signings arriving. Movement amongst the club's hierarchy has also taken place, showing how United have hit the reset button, and they have picked Ten Hag as the man to lead them in yet another rebuild.
But the Dutchman has a huge task on his hands and he isn't the first man to be handed with the responsibility of changing United's fortunes. If there is one commonality with Ten Hag's predecessors and the United squad, it is that the dressing room continues to hold a toxic feel to it.
Since Sir Alex Ferguson left, David Moyes has struggled with player power in his shadow and the squad didn't take too kindly to Louis van Gaal either. Jose Mourinho is not the type of boss to allow players to take control, and unfortunately for the Portuguese boss, he was axed after several fallouts with players including Pogba.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains a well-loved figure, but it was never going to realistically work in the long-term after failing to win a trophy. And if Ten Hag is going to be successful, he has to stamp out the toxic culture that has swept the club. There has been an attitude problem ever since Ferguson left, and the Lingard fallout has underlined that the issue remains a prominent one nearly a decade later.
Some rash allegations were made from Lingard's camp surrounding his Old Trafford snub, but Rangnick has since set the record straight, as he said: "Well to start with, in the last few weeks and under my tenure, he [Lingard] has played far may games than before I came.
"On game day against Chelsea, he contacted me in the hotel and asked me to release him from the game and to also excuse him from training the next day. This was for personal family reasons, and I allowed him to do that.
"I also only have three subs, all the other leagues have five. I have to leave out other players I'd love to use, but I can't. If I'd have left other players out, maybe somebody else may have posted. With three subs, and two already used, you have to take it and not everyone will like it."
It seems as though Lingard has blown the situation way out of proportion and he is entitled to feel upset about his treatment. But the way he has gone about it is the perfect example of the toxicity that United have to stamp out, and it will be Ten Hag's duty to enforce that. Rangnick has done Ten Hag a favour by addressing this publicly, as not only has he covered his own back and put the spotlight on Lingard, he has indicated to the Dutchman about the problems he might face. Lingard may be heading off elsewhere this summer, but he isn't the only player to cause a ruckus.
Ten Hag has to manage the dressing room in the way others have failed, and United don't have the luxury of having the likes of club legends like Roy Keane or Rio Ferdinand to police it. Ten Hag's first priority must be to resolve the attitude and the atmosphere within the current dressing room, before he can think about bringing new faces into that environment.
