It's been exactly one month since Manchester United closed the curtain on last season with an FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City, and yet preparations are about to get underway for 2023/2024.
Summers seem to be getting shorter for Premier League teams and a truncated campaign, caused in part by the decision to shoehorn a World Cup into the schedule, has constricted the off-season even further. Two June internationals have done little to help matters either.
United will welcome its first group of players back for pre-season this week, with the traditional round of physical testing to look forward to for those at Carrington. Next Wednesday, the available cohort will head to Oslo for the first of seven pre-season friendlies - barring the meeting with Wrexham in which a second-string side will play - against Leeds United.
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This week's group will be far from full strength, with United's players set to return for pre-season in two groups. 15 players were away on international duty last month and are entitled to a minimum three-week break, meaning they are scheduled to report back from July 10 onwards.
It means that Erik ten Hag's first week of preparations will largely be without his core of senior players, but it will provide a few of his more promising youngsters a chance to stake a claim for a place in next season's plans.
Amad Diallo enjoyed an excellent season on loan at Sunderland, his decision to drop into the Championship delivering exactly what he wanted. 39 appearances brought 14 goals, three assists and the chance to flourish in a young and attacking side.
The 20-year-old has made no secret of his desire to step into United's first team plans next season, but he returns to Manchester jostling for position in a role packed with top-quality talent. Ten Hag has three senior wingers in Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony plus the young pair of Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri.
But with everyone barring Sancho away for another week, Amad has the chance to make a good early impression and build momentum going into pre-season.
Similarly, Alvaro Fernandez will hope to use the absence of senior alternatives to his advantage, with both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia out of this week's plans. Another major beneficiary of a second-tier loan, the Spanish youngster racked up an impressive 39 appearances at Preston North End and won the club's Young Player of the Year Award.
How Ten Hag plans to use Shaw next season will likely be decisive in Fernandez's immediate future, but there may be an opening if the England international continues his role as an auxiliary central defender.
One player who decided to stay in Manchester last season was Kobbie Mainoo, and the 18-year-old was handed a first-team debut in the Carabao Cup win over Charlton Athletic for his troubles. Midfield is a well-stocked area as it stands and the imminent arrival of Mason Mount will only congest it further.
But if United are serious about selling first-team fringe players in order to raise funds, then the likes of Fred and Scott McTominay could well end up on the 'for sale' list. A strong week for Mainoo could see him enter Ten Hag's thinking going into next season, with the teenager able to offer cover across the midfield.
All three are young and by no means in a rush to make their mark, and there is an obvious difference between showing promise in pre-season and delivering consistently in competitive action. But a week in which most of their superiors are away is as good an opportunity as any to stake their claim for a place in the senior squad come August.
This week won't define their United careers, but it could prove crucial in their immediate futures.
