Paul Pogba's fierce response to paper talk last term that Cristiano Ronaldo was a problem in the Manchester United dressing room could imply Erik ten Hag is preparing to reintegrate the forward.
Ronaldo has failed to hold down a consistent starting spot ever since the Dutchman took the reins, which just so happened at the same time the 37-year-old striker was desperately angling for an Old Trafford exit. It is almost barely believable that the league season is six games old for United and Ronaldo is still yet to score a goal.
It has been a turbulent few months for the Portugal skipper, but it wasn't always smooth sailing before that. The back end of last season was littered with reports that Ronaldo was becoming an issue for then-interim boss Ralf Rangnick, much like speculation suggested he was for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
These kind of reports were met with a fierce defence of Ronaldo from his then-teammate Pogba, who hit back after the striker had netted a hat-trick in a 3-2 victory over Spurs in March.
"He [Ronaldo] has never been a problem. You have the best striker in history in our team, he cannot be a problem. Today the performance from him and all the team was very brilliant," Pogba added.
"Everybody knows Cristiano – there's no need to talk about him. That's what he does. He didn't play in the last game, but he comes back and scores three goals. Everybody's happy."
While on the surface the comments may read as nothing more than Pogba defending a colleague, they could actually mean that the reason for Ronaldo's slow start to the season is not due to being exiled by Ten Hag for attitude problems like many suggest.
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Instead, the reality simply could be that United's manager still harbours some concerns over the 37-year-old's fitness and once those are properly addressed Ronaldo will once again become a regular in the starting line-up under Ten Hag.
Ronaldo missed the entirety of United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, citing 'family reasons' as the explanation behind his absence. As a result, he has been playing catch-up when it comes to returning to full fitness.
Prior to his start to life as United boss, Ten Hag spoke highly of Ronaldo and has done so since taking charge. Before the transfer window closed, the manager told reporters: "We plan with him [Ronaldo], so we want him to stay. That is what we want."
At times, relations between the two have appeared frosty - particularly in the aftermath of that humiliating 4-0 defeat at Brentford when Ronaldo blanked his boss as he trudged down the tunnel.
However, with Ronaldo's desire to leave looking like it won't come to fruition until the summer and with Pogba's assessment of his character in mind - perhaps both player and manager are willing to make the best of it as United bid to turn the tide of their recent dismal fortunes.
