As 2022 draws to a close, Erik ten Hag will take Manchester United into the New Year in a far healthier condition than the one they found themselves prior to his arrival.
Following the dismissal of club icon Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United limped to their worst-ever finish in the Premier League era under the guidance of interim chief Ralf Rangnick. Ten Hag, who had thrived in the Netherlands with Ajax, was the man tasked with improving United's fortunes back in the summer.
After spending in excess of £230million to rebuild a fractured squad, Ten Hag has recovered from a turbulent start to his Old Trafford and steadied the ship. United are currently just one point and one place outside the top-four with a game in hand on some of the sides above them and have lost just once in the league since they were dismantled by Manchester City at the start of October.
But the Dutchman has had to contend with more than his fair share of issues during the first six months of his premiership. Here, Mirror Football takes a look back at some of the problems Ten Hag has solved over the past few months...
The Ronaldo saga
After failing to secure a move away last summer, Cristiano Ronaldo very quickly became one of Ten Hag's biggest problems at Old Trafford following his arrival from Ajax.
The Portuguese superstar went from top scorer to bit-part man under Ten Hag, who repeatedly insisted that Ronaldo needed to get up to speed after missing the club's pre-season tour of Australia and Thailand.
Ronaldo failed to make an impact during his limited minutes on the pitch before the situation spectacularly imploded in the weeks leading up to the World Cup.
Join the debate! What have you made of Ten Hag's start to life at Man Utd? Let us know here.
Firstly, Ronaldo stormed off in a strop and left the stadium during a win against Tottenham in mid-October, with Ten Hag also revealing after the match that the striker had refused to come on as a second-half substitute. Shortly after that incident, Ronaldo participated in a scathing, unsanctioned interview with Piers Morgan, taking aim at Ten Hag and the club hierarchy.
Ronaldo's high-profile interview effectively made his position at the club untenable - it came as no surprise when it was announced a few days later that an agreement had been reached to tear up the final six months of his lucrative contract.
It says everything about Ronaldo's sad demise that he became more of a hindrance than a help during the early weeks of Ten Hag's reign - so it makes sense that the United chief was more than happy to part ways with the former Juventus ace.
The Brentford fallout
After an opening-day defeat at Brighton, Ten Hag's miserable start to life on these shores was compounded with a thumping 4-0 loss at the hands of Brentford.
Those results meant that United were briefly rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table - forcing Ten Hag to take drastic action.
The following day, after some players allegedly complained it was "too hot" during the match against the Bees, Ten Hag joined his squad in a gruelling 8.5 mile run to lay down the law.
A report from The Times outlined that the 52-year-old hit out at United's flops, urging them to "stop whining" and telling them "it was time to act" in a bid to kickstart the season.
Training ground scraps
While there was a distinct lack of fighting spirit on show during that dismal defeat against Brentford, there's been no shortage of it at the club's Carrington training base in recent months.
Alex Telles and Hannibal Mejbri clashed shortly after the Brentford debacle while Anthony Martial was also involved in a bust-up with a youth team player last month.
Intriguingly, neither Telles or Mejbri are involved at the club this season with both currently out on loan. Martial, however, had been earmarked for a more significant role under Ten Hag and only injuries have restricted him from featuring more often.
Transfer issues
United did spend heavily to revamp their squad in the summer - eventually.
But it was only after the crushing defeat at Brentford that United upped the ante in the transfer market. Casemiro has made a major impact since arriving from Real Madrid, and although Antony's influence has waned, he also made a strong start to life at Old Trafford.
It's been far from smooth sailing in the transfer market for Ten Hag, who saw another of his top targets, Cody Gakpo, join Liverpool earlier this week.
The takeover uncertainty
When it was announced that the Glazer family were open to selling up, it was music to the ears of most United fans, who have campaigned for change for years.
However, the uncertainty surrounding the club's future could make a difficult job even tougher for Ten Hag this month.
United are light on attacking options following Ronaldo's exit but are seemingly only in the market for loan additions as talk of a takeover rumbles on.
The majority of Ten Hag's signings have looked astute. Were he able to supplement them with one or two further signings next month, then United would be firmly on course for a return to the Champions League picture. Unfortunately, that appears highly unlikely until the long-term future of the club, and the Glazer family's involvement is resolved.
