It seems certain that there will be a different look about Manchester United when they return to competitive action against Burnley next midweek.
Erik ten Hag will welcome back many of his World Cup stars to training next Monday ahead of the match, though with only two days of training under their belts, the feeling is that the most senior stars will be rested from the start.
What is certain is that there will be changes in the heart of defence. Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane are the first-choice defensive pairing under the Dutchman, though both will be involved in the World Cup final this weekend.
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It means that we will most likely see a throwback look, with club captain Harry Maguire partnered by Victor Lindelof in the heart of the defence, and there could be another reminder of former glories with who is selected on the bench.
United will need to draft in another centre-back to give them some cover, and with Teden Mengi currently sidelined, it could well mean that Axel Tuanzebe will get a lifeline to prove himself under Ten Hag.
The 25-year-old was pictured back at Carrington this week, the first time he has been spotted in official training photos since July. He was seen taking part in individual drills as he looks to build fitness before returning to group sessions.
His stock might have fallen massively over the last few seasons, but it would certainly be a good news story to see the Rochdale-raised defender back in action after such awful luck with injuries.
Tuanzebe was actually part of the pre-season schedule under Ten Hag and even flew out to Thailand with the rest of the squad for the first-leg of their summer tour.
However, he departed early without playing a second of football and has been sidelined by injury ever since—the sixth notable lay-off in the last four years.
In years gone by, Tuanzebe was seen as the beacon of light for a defence that was in need of reinforcement, though he has never managed to recapture the same level of consistency that saw him burst onto the scene under José Mourinho and enjoy success at Aston Villa.
He is a player who has won both the club's Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year and the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year awards, and the performance on his first-team debut in a friendly vs Wigan back in 2016 led manager Mourinho to state, "10 minutes is enough! The potential is there, you see it immediately."
Mourinho's comment holds the key. He has always had immense ability, but he needed to fulfil that potential to reach the top, something that sadly hasn't happened yet.
It has been almost four years since his most successful of three loan spells with Aston Villa, and even that promotion-winning campaign was one that was hampered by a three-month injury.
A return to Villa Park at the start of last season was terminated early after he had only featured in 13 games, and a subsequent move to Napoli also ended in disappointment after injury limited him to just two appearances.
Tuanzebe's involvement in training this week has once again opened the doors to a possible shot at redemption in a United shirt, and with Varane and Martinez both set for a full week off following the World Cup, there could well be a couple of squad involvements before the end of the year.
What is different now is that United no longer need him to fulfill that potential quite as much as they once did, and oddly enough, that easing of pressure might well hold the key to him finally finding his feet again.
There will be no shame if his time at Old Trafford is finally over after years of injury, but the focus now is for the highly-talented defender to simply get back to fitness and regain the confidence that forged his reputation in the first place.
He was once viewed as the future of the club, and he might not be done just yet.
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