Solskjaer's near misses and the unravelling that followed

After a sixth-place finish in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's initial season, United ended the next two full campaigns in third and second - the highest consecutive league positions since Ferguson retired. They reached five semi-finals out of six in cup competitions.

Crucially though, they did not win any. The nearest they came was losing on penalties to Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final when goalkeeper David de Gea's missed spot-kick proved decisive.

The lack of silverware was a problem.

"It was like an albatross he carried," said an insider. "Particularly in the second full year, people kept saying 'will he win something?'"

Despite this, internally there was belief in Solskjaer and his team. In July 2021 he was given a contract extension to 2024. Woodward said the foundations were now in place "for long-term success".

Cristiano Ronaldo's return was added to the big-money arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane - and the Portugal superstar then scored twice on his second debut against Newcastle to send Manchester United top of the Premier League. The mood was euphoric.

It proved to be the ultimate false dawn.

BBC Sport has been told the United dressing room, almost exclusively, was thrilled by Ronaldo's arrival. Solskjaer felt the returning forward would set standards and show team-mates what was required to reach the top.

Ferguson wanted him. Woodward wanted him. The fans wanted him.

"The problem was the way Ole and Kieran McKenna set the team out - you couldn't carry too many players who didn't track back," said a dressing room source. "It needed legs - it needed press.

"The system had to change, which is fine to accommodate a big player, but Ole couldn't make it work. Ronaldo was effective but his arrival took something quite major out of a system he had been working on for two and a half years."

It unravelled in the space of six defeats in 11 games over two months, including that astonishing 5-1 home defeat by Liverpool. Losing at Watford - United conceded twice in stoppage time - proved to be the end.

There are those who think that was unfair.

As it turned out, first under the interim charge of Michael Carrick, then Ralf Rangnick, with the same group of players United won 10 and lost just two of their next 18 games.

Could Solskjaer have engineered that same turnaround in fortunes?

No-one will ever know. But, looking back, maybe his time in charge was not so bad after all.

Read Simon's full piece