There is plenty of optimism around Manchester United due to the impending arrival of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager.
Rangnick, who is nicknamed 'the godfather of German football,' comes with one of the best reputations in the game, with elite managers like Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel full of praise for the 63-year-old.
He has agreed to an initial six-month deal to take over as United's manager until the end of the season before moving up to a two-year consultancy role.
It's the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired that United looks like they have a proper plan to improve the football club. Fans have been waiting eight years for this moment, and arguably, this is an appointment that should've happened when the great man decided he'd had enough with the beautiful game.
If you haven't been going on YouTube to check out Rangnick's lectures on how to play football, then you're missing out! I know the term 'genius' gets thrown about a lot, but I'm convinced this man is the Einstein of German football from what I've seen. It's exciting times as a United supporter, that's for sure.
Rangnick's style of football is based around his philosophy of 'Gegenpressing,' which is centred around counter-pressing. But, if you read some of Rangnick's previous comments about how he likes his teams to play football, he often mentions 'transition' and 'space.'
At a Coaches Voice conference, he said: "We (his RB Leipzig team) play heavy-metal football; it's not slow.
"We hate square passes; back passes, just having the ball ourselves doesn't make sense.
"Then we have the two situations of transition. What happens when we lose the ball and what happens in the very moment when we win the ball. It's about putting the other team under pressure, no matter if it's high up. The higher up, the better."
In a piece for the Coaches Voice in 2018, he also wrote: "If you want to increase the speed of your game, you have to develop quicker minds rather than quicker feet."
Speed and space are essential to Rangnick's philosophy, and these are the key areas where United have been lacking this season.
The midfield is an area where United have been struggling, and when you analyse Rangnick's comments, there's one player who I think will shine under his guidance.
That person is Donny van de Beek.
Van de Beek has had a horrible time since signing for the club last season, and I've felt so sorry for him because he wasn't getting a sniff of action under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It was massively disrespectful to a player who's progressed further in the UEFA Champions League than some of the midfielders who were getting the nod over him.
The Dutchman finally got a chance to show what he's about when he came on in United's 4-1 defeat to Watford. He was the best player by a country mile, and there was so much irony in his goal, which was the last under Solskjaer's tenure. Football is a funny game.
Van de Beek isn't a player who likes to dwell in possession - he wants to move the ball quickly so that the team can transition into offensive areas. He's a clever footballer, precisely the sort of character Rangnick has described.
Rangnick has been talking about his philosophy, and his teams have always had that quick-thinker in the midfield. Van de Beek is that person, having been educated by arguably the most technically-skilled team in the world in Ajax.
It feels like the 24-year-old will be one of those players who will shine under Rangnick's guidance, and if he does, then United might finally be able to say: 'Money well spent.'
Hopefully, we see more of him under the German.
Will Van de Beek shine under Rangnick? 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.
