Manchester United's appointment of Ralf Rangnick as interim manager was made with a long-term plan in mind, but the German has some more immediate challenges in front of him.
Reports of dressing room unrest are widespread, with the former RB Leipzig boss becoming aware of cliques within the playing staff and players privately fearing "disaster" under the new boss.
As many as 17 different members of the squad could look to leave Old Trafford in what promises to be a tempestuous January, with Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani among the bigger names linked with an exit.
As details of the challenges facing Rangnick come to light, suggestions are growing that issues identified two managers ago, when Jose Mourinho was at the helm, have still not been resolved.
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According to The Mail, Rangnick has identified "a selfish element" within United's squad just weeks after taking over from caretaker Michael Carrick.
On-field results haven't been entirely disastrous, with 10 points from five league games with the former RB Leipzig boss in the dugout, but issues remain behind the scenes.
A number of players are believed to remain unconvinced by assistant manager Chris Armas, who joined after stints in MLS, while there have been suggestions that some would have preferred Antonio Conte to Rangnick as a managerial appointment.
The selfish element is an issue identified by Mourinho during his time in charge, and shows how United remain plagued by problems which go beyond the managers in the dugout.
More than three years have passed since Mourinho was dismissed off the back of a December 2018 defeat at Liverpool, with Solskjaer overseeing more than 100 Premier League games in the process.
"I can't see where the sea change of a happy dressing room and everyone pulling together is going to come from," pundit Graeme Souness said back in 2018, when United made a slow start to the season under the Portuguese manager.
United's January clearout is expected to begin with loan departures for Axel Tuanzebe and Anthony Martial, with the pair set to move to Italy and Spain respectively.
Academy graduates Jesse Lingard and Dean Henderson are also said to be unhappy with their lack of minutes - a problem from the Solskjaer era which Rangnick has so far failed to remedy - and could leave in order to strengthen their chances of featuring for England at the 2022 World Cup.
However, considering how long the issue of selfish players has seemingly hung over Old Trafford, there may not be a quick fix to the issue.
Even if Rangnick begins to set things right, he is only in charge of the first team until the end of the season, at which point his long-term successor will need to carry on that work.
