Manchester United are a team very much in the ascendancy with the optimism among the squad firmly on the rise.
Erik ten Hag was appointed in the summer after several impressive years with Ajax and made an instant impact - with the atmosphere now a far cry from previous regimes. United have not won a trophy since their Europa League victory under Jose Mourinho in 2017.
The Special One failed to build on the successes of that season and is among several managers post Sir Alex Ferguson to offer glimmers of light without following through. Now though, according to the Independent, the squad at Carrington feel as though the current regime is the "real deal".
United players though feel as if Ten Hag is the first modern coach they've had in years - and are relaying that feeling to friends at other clubs and their international team-mates. The Dutchman has several points of difference to those who've come before him.
The majority of the current squad played under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who seemed to enjoy moments of high, but without any clear vision. United seemed to be a reactive team, rather than a proactive one and when it unravelled under the Norwegian, it did so at a rapid rate.
Mourinho and Louis van Gaal were hired with big reputations - but both men were perhaps beyond their peak and employed methods that had enjoyed success previously, but were being outdone by more modern methods employed by younger coaches.
Ten Hag has also managed to negotiate what could've been divisive situations and emerged with his credibility raised. The Cristiano Ronaldo saga has ended with a swift resolution, with the Portuguese star leaving the club. Marginalised players like Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have also accepted their roles - and are now mounting comebacks and they rise to the challenge of proving themselves.
Marcus Rashford has enjoyed a resurgence - perhaps producing the best form of his career. It comes after he looked bereft of confidence and form last term, but he's benefited from Ten Hag's approach.
The United boss has also learnt from observing previous regimes - deliberately taking a different approach to Solskjaer when it comes to his coaches. The Norwegian was often surrounded on the dugout by the likes of Michael Carrick, Kieran McKenna and Mike Phelan.
Ten Hag felt as though there were too many people in and around the group with several members of his staff watching games from Carrington, allowing for a different perspective during the 90 minutes.
