Following the captures of Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, Manchester United supporters had reasons to be optimistic ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
The club had added three world-class players to the squad, addressing areas that needed strengthening, and it appeared as though they had everything that they needed to launch a Premier League title charge and restock the Old Trafford trophy cabinet. Instead, they face the reality of ending a fifth successive season without a trophy and the possibility of missing out on Champions League football for next season.
To describe this season as a calamity would not be too far from the truth. United have, once again, underachieved and it means the size of the challenge awaiting their next permanent manager is an enormous one.
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Not only will he, whoever it proves to be, be tasked with trying to install a brand new philosophy, he will also have to oversee huge changes to the first-team squad, with several players in need of being moved and new additions being made. But it is not all bad.
Amongst all the doom and gloom that this season has attracted, there have been rays of light that have brought smiles to faces and raised expectation levels for next season and beyond. That is because United, through decision-making and sheer hard work from certain individuals, have discovered that the future of the club has potential, determination and talent in abundance.
From Anthony Elanga's four-month journey from being out in the wilderness to earning his first Sweden call-up, to the club's Under-18s reaching the FA Youth Cup final for the first time since 2012, the club's youth and stars of the future have risen to the fore.
Elanga, despite impressing during pre-season under former Reds boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, racked up a paltry 17 minutes worth of first-team football between the opening day of the Premier League season and Michael Carrick's final game in caretaker charge. Following Ralf Rangnick's appointment as interim manager in late November, his life changed.
In just four months, he has earned his Champions League debut, scored his first Champions League goal, experienced playing in a Premier League match at Old Trafford with supporters in attendance for the first time and earned a maiden Sweden call-up. If that is not a success for Elanga and United, what is?
Whilst he has gone up through the gears following his installation to the first-team squad, the Under-18s have been writing their own success story, with numerous names offering huge potential. After seeing off Scunthorpe United (4-2), Reading (3-1), Everton (4-1), Leicester City (2-1) and Wolves (3-0), they have repeated the success of the likes of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard in being the first United team to reach the FA Youth Cup final in a decade.
They have played some slick, pleasing on-the-eye football throughout their run to the final and will be hoping to enjoy the happiest of endings when they face either Chelsea or Nottingham Forest in the final at Old Trafford next month. Their run to the final of the competition has acted as the catalyst for another of the club's biggest success stories of this season - Alejandro Garnacho's shock call-up to the Argentina squad for the very first time.
The youngster, who has only represented Spain at international level (youth) until now, is currently rubbing shoulders with Lionel Messi, ahead of Argentina's World Cup qualifiers with Venezuela and Ecuador. Considering he has never played a single first-team minute for United and does not turn 18 until July, it is quite an achievement for a player that, up until recently, was a relatively unknown figure to most Reds fans.
But the FA Youth Cup journey has played a huge part in his development. He has scored five goals and claimed three assists in five games in the competition and been central to the Reds' achievements.
Whereas Garnacho has staked a claim for knocking on the door of the first-team ahead of next season by strutting his stuff and wowing his admirers in United's youth ranks, fellow youngster James Garner has done it by experiencing the demands of the Championship. Joining Forest on loan for a second time last summer, the England Under-21 international has excelled this season.
Playing a formidable role in Forest's transformation from being bottom of the table after seven games to promotion contenders, Garner has been outstanding, proving to be the glue in their midfield. Excelling in keeping things neat and tidy, he has also proven to be a threat going forward, as highlighted by his tally nine direct goal contributions (three goals, six assists) in all competitions.
He has captured plenty of attention from United's supporters as his season-long loan move has developed and his performances in Forest's FA Cup clashes with Arsenal, Leicester and Liverpool provided evidence that he does not look out of place against Premier League talent. Like Garnacho, he is right to be dreaming big after this season.
Therefore, with so many of United's youngsters showcasing their talents this season, it ought to give the club's next permanent manager optimism for the future. Of course, the rise of three youngsters and development of the Under-18s squad is not going to solve all of their issues, but it means there are positives to inherit.
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