From the moment Erik ten Hag dusted off his tactics board and laced up those beautiful old-school Adidas boots, the noise circulating around Carrington followed a similar tune to the 'factory reset' offered up by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during his tenure as Manchester United manager.
However, with the air-miles starting to clock up for Ten Hag and his Cristiano Ronaldo-less squad on their summer tour to Thailand, Australia and Norway, three players consigned to the shop floor under Solskjaer might have to be relied upon to lead their revised sales pitch. That is without the star attraction who draws punters in.
Even when Solskjaer was sacked midway through that disastrous season, it seemed unthinkable that Diogo Dalot, Donny van de Beek and Anthony Martial could all have a part to play under whoever United settled on as a successor, and that Cristiano Ronaldo may not.
READ MORE: Martial set for new United challenge
Dalot, signed by compatriot Jose Mourinho, was promptly cast aside by Solskjaer as he spent £50million on Aaron Wan-Bissaka and never looked back. However, three years on from that follow-up move, the tables have turned at right-back and Dalot is now the man in possession of the shirt.
It has to be said, the opportunity was presented to him by interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, while United are still on the lookout for another recruit in that position. Still, with Wan-Bissaka deemed surplus to requirements, you would expect Dalot to start on day one of the Premier League season against Brighton regardless.
Van de Beek might not be so lucky. But as a product of the famed Ajax production line, and with an existing relationship with manager Ten Hag, he could get more game time in the near future.
United have simply wasted Van de Beek to this point. Amid further pushes to strengthen in central midfield — with Frenkie de Jong and Christian Eriksen on United's radar — there might be a player in Van de Beek who can solve some problems by himself.
Ten Hag must get to know his squad and time away on tour gives him the perfect chance to do that. However, when it comes to Van de Beek, the Netherlands international already has his trust and will try and make up for lost time.
Then comes Martial; the most curious case of them all. Even the most dissenting United supporter accepts the talent he possesses, yet examples of that ability have become increasingly rare in recent seasons.
Martial has a record of wilting under pressure on his position. But with a lack of competition in the forward positions right now, he could be offered a final shot at United redemption.
Of course, that depends on two key factors; what happens with Ronaldo and how the France international fares in front of the watching Ten Hag on tour. But first, returning Martial will have to shake-off the jet-lag from his abysmal loan spell with Sevilla in the second half of last season.
With just one signing confirmed so far in Tyrell Malacia, the much-talked-about rebuild has yet to really gather any momentum and, due to those delays in the transfer market — coupled with Ronaldo wanting out — Ten Hag might have to lean heavily on some players who weren't fancied by Solskjaer.
It's an early opportunity, then, for Ten Hag to underline his coaching credentials and man-management on the biggest stage; one where others including his predecessor have failed before him.
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