Erik ten Hag returns to Selhurst Park on Wednesday, the place where he watched his first match after being appointed manager of Manchester United.
The Red Devils take on Crystal Palace, marking the halfway stage in the Dutchman's maiden Premier League campaign. Ten Hag's resurgent side can move up to third place with a win which would be their ninth successive victory on the back of Saturday's epic 2-1 comeback win against bitter rivals Manchester City.
It's a far cry from the situation United found themselves in the last time they travelled to South London, as a newly-appointed Ten Hag, sitting in a cool pale suit alongside close confidant Steve McClaren and right-hand man Mitchell van der Gaag, watched interim boss Ralf Rangnick lose his final game in charge. The limp 1-0 defeat summed up the Red Devils' abysmal season and laid bare the almighty task which their new permanent manager had ahead of him.
Rangnick had warned his successor that United required "open heart surgery," claiming that Old Trafford chiefs would have to make up to 10 signings in order to bring the glory days back to the Threatre of Dreams. Ten Hag hasn't brought in that amount of new players, but he's turned away from many of the starting XI whom Rangnick fielded against Palace.
Starting from the back, David de Gea remains the Red Devils' No.1 goalkeeper and the Spaniard could do little about former United teammate Wilfried Zaha's first-half winner for the Eagles. Diogo Dalot started at right-back and although the occasion wasn't his finest hour, Ten Hag has helped the Portuguese enjoy a stellar season this time out but is currently injured, giving way to Palace academy graduate Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
It's the rest of the back four, all of whom the Dutch tactician has ruthlessly jettisoned from his preferred lineup, which is most telling aspect of the Red Devils transformation inside eight months. Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof lined up together in a centre-back pairing which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer heavily favoured during his ill-fated tenure.
They were predictably porous and didn't have much help from left-back Alex Telles. Ten Hag was reportedly unimpressed by the Brazilian's performance against the Eagles, and he was soon shipped out on a season-long loan to Sevilla after failing to prove his new gaffer wrong in pre-season.
There was no Luke Shaw in the squad and Raphael Varane watched from the bench, the two men likely to start at centre-back for on Wednesday. Lisandro Martinez is another defender who wasn't present because he was still an Ajax player, fresh from his third season under Ten Hag in Amsterdam.
Scott McTominay and Fred were the much-maligned midfield duo, and although the United boss began the season by selecting the pair, he soon abandoned them. While Christian Eriksen has mostly been preferred as a deep-lying playmaker, Fred can still hold his head high this term and he played a key role in Saturday's victory over City by dealing with Kevin De Bruyne for much of the game.
McTominay, meanwhile, is reportedly keen to leave Old Trafford and join Newcastle's assault on the top four, having lost his place to £60million signing Casemiro. Bruno Fernandes played ahead of them and is looking back to his past under Ten Hag's tutelage, now donning the captain's armband in the absence of Maguire.
Veteran striker Edinson Cavani wasn't offered a new deal when his contract expired after the match, but the two men flanking him at Selhurst Park are still in with a chance of making it in Manchester. Anthony Elanga, linked with a loan move to Borussia Dortmund or Everton this month, enjoyed a breakout season last term and has featured 18 times since Ten Hag took charge.
Hannibal Mejbri made his first start in the curtain-closer and is spending the current campaign on loan with Birmingham City, making his fiery presence known to Championship opponents. Marcus Rashford missed out of the squad due to injury - like Anthony Martial and the recently-depurated Cristiano Ronaldo - but the in-form Mancunian should feature this time out.
With Antony and Alejandro Garnacho in line to start on the flanks, Ten Hag will have to weigh up whether or not to stick with Rashford - who picked up an injury before his winning goal at the weekend - or hand new signing Wout Weghorst a debut.
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"I have to think that over," the ex-Ajax gaffer admitted, speaking on Saturday. "First, settle down this game and make the right conclusions. Then we will make a clear plan. I have to see [for] Palace."
Either way, there'll be a big difference to the last Red Devils team to rock up in Croydon.
Rangnick admitted after the defeat that United would need to sign players who'd "invest in the team spirit," something which he was planning on helping do in his anticipated role as an advisor. Ten Hag wasn't interested in receiving a helping hand, though, and he's began the rebuild with the likes of Van der Gaag and McClaren by his side once again.
Man Utd's expected line-up vs Crystal Palace: *De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, *Fernandes, Rashford; Weghorst
*players who started Rangnick's final game
