Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was speaking from experience when he described winning trophies with Manchester United as "the most magical feeling in the world".
The Norwegian won 10 major honours as a player at United, including a Champions League and six Premier League titles, and while his reign as manager is yet to produce any silverware it's clear to see the club is in his blood after his time at Old Trafford.
Not every player has that relationship with a club, but one that does at Old Trafford is Paul Pogba. His social media critics might not buy it, but Pogba has always had a very special feeling for United, from his first spell at the club and through his return. He stayed in touch with youth team colleagues after he left and jumped at the chance to return, with a feeling of unfinished business.
Even since he went public with his desire to leave in 2019 his professionalism and commitment to the cause has never been in doubt. United insiders speak positively of the way he's conducted himself around the club.
That wish for a new challenge was born out of a desire to win trophies, something he didn't think United were close to providing. Two years on it's impossible to argue he wasn't correct, given those two seasons have again been empty-handed ones.
But for the pandemic maybe Pogba would have already left United, but Real Madrid and Juventus saw their financial power decimated over the past 18 months and there's been no route out for the France international.
Now, it's approaching decision day for Pogba and his agent, Mino Raiola. On January 1 he will be free to talk to clubs overseas and sign a pre-contract agreement, confirming his exit next summer. In financial terms, only Paris St-Germain could compete with what United are offering, but Real Madrid and Juventus are likely to retain an interest.
Yet the decision for Pogba is likely to come down to silverware. In five years at United he's won a League Cup and Europa League and there's been nothing for the previous four years. It's a paltry return for a player of Pogba's ability, who has won a World Cup in that time.
PSG might be well placed to offer a guarantee of trophies, but one Premier League with United is surely worth a hatful of Ligue 1 crowns with the Parisians. Are Real Madrid or Juventus going to be better placed than United to challenge in Europe over the next few seasons? Arguably not.
The last couple of years at Old Trafford might have been trophy-less again, but they have seen United take a step forward in terms of quality. Pogba is now playing with team-mates of the calibre of Raphael Varane, Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo. This is a squad that should be winning titles and for Pogba being a part of the United team that finally end that long wait for the Premier League would be special.
But he turns 29 in March and knows this contract is likely to be his last substantial one. Forget the finance, can United prove they are ready to take that next step before Pogba has to make a decision on his future? That is the challenge.
There was certainly a hope that the capture of Varane, Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho this summer would send a statement to Pogba and last month Solskjaer admitted it was now down to the team to show him he was in the right place.t
"It's up to us now to get results and to prove to ourselves we can win trophies," Solskjaer said. "Everyone who signs for Man United wants to win trophies. To be a part of a winning Man United, it's the most magical feeling in the world."
The first 10 games of the season haven't been cast-iron proof. United were beaten by Young Boys in the Champions League and have dropped points to Southampton, Aston Villa and Everton in the Premier League, the latter two at Old Trafford.
But this is a squad good enough to challenge and United - still only two points off the top of the table - can recover. If Pogba is to sign a new deal and commit his best years to the club, they might need to.
