It is 171 days since the Glazer family went public with their intention to sell or seek investment into Manchester United, but still the process drags on and the outcome remains uncertain.
The Jimmy Murphy Centre at Carrington, used as a hub for interested parties to be briefed on the situation at the club, remains out of action for some of its day-to-day business and nobody working there or at Old Trafford can say for any certainty which way the Glazers will fall.
Senior club staff have to speculate over which direction United will head in because nobody really knows. Erik ten Hag has kept his counsel on the takeover but beyond a chance meeting and a handshake with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he is unlikely to be any wiser than the rest of us.
