It feels like a long time since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by Manchester United, despite it being just one month ago.
The 48-year-old was dismissed in late November after United suffered an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road. There was no way back for the Norwegian after that performance, and many concluded his time had ended.
Since then, plenty has happened, be it on the field or off it. United has brought in a new interim manager, and there have been changes at the club's top.
Ralf Rangnick has been in charge for United's last three fixtures, but he should have five games under his belt at this point because his team were due to play matches against Brentford and Brighton. However, a Covid-19 outbreak in the squad meant that those matches were postponed, leaving his team in sixth, with two games in hand over fourth-place Arsenal.
It looks as if there have been plenty of clubs that have been affected by the recent surge in Coronavirus Omicron cases. All 20 Premier League clubs held a meeting with league officials to discuss plans for a potential circuit breaker for the remaining December fixtures.
It was concluded that fixtures over Christmas and the New Year would continue, despite the rising virus cases in the UK.
Clubs rejected the idea of suspending the season, and teams which have at least 14 first-team players (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper) must be available to fulfil fixtures.
It's been said that if teams lack numbers from their senior squad, then players who have made appearances at senior level in the under-23s should be relied upon in the games to come.
There will be severely affected clubs, especially those who don't have a lot of squad depth. But this is an area where United are perhaps enormous compared to other sides.
United easily have a 30-man squad to compete on all fronts, and you can only praise Solskjaer for this. During pre-season, he emphasised the importance of having a big group of players to rotate and compete where necessary.
"We need a big squad," Solskjaer said. "The start is important, the whole season is important, but you need to arrive in April and May fresh and with enough options. Some [players] might go on loan until Christmas, some might go for a season but I don't want to be too light in any position.
"We need to arrive in April and May with players fresh. We need players with x-factor who can make a difference.
"Bruno, last year for example, maybe I overplayed him but it was because he was so important for us. Adding these extra players - Jesse coming back, Jadon [Sancho] coming in, Anthony [Martial] being fit again - it gives us a lot more to work with."
The decision to have a big squad could prove pivotal for Ralf Rangnick, who hasn't had the best of times in terms of getting to know his players. The Covid-19 outbreak has somewhat halted that.
The MEN have reported that club sources said the return of players would be 'staggered' in the run-up to Monday's Premier League fixture at Newcastle.
If it wasn't for Solskjaer's desire to maintain a big squad, United could be in a much worse position than they're currently in. When you think about what Brighton and Chelsea have had to endure, Rangnick's team are in a much better place to play some of their senior players.
Rangnick has also shown his willingness to play United's youth in the 1-1 draw against Young Boys, so he has plenty of players at his disposal if things get worse than they already are.
When United do return, they should be able to cope, and they can thank Solskjaer for that!
Can Rangnick benefit from a big squad? Follow our United On My Mind writer Omar Garrick on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
