Inheriting a team more adept at gegendossing than gegenpressing , Ralf Rangnick has got his hands full.
But if the key to success is getting your message across, Rangnick has got a head start.
The eloquence of the foreign managers who lift our club football to new levels never ceases to amaze.
Ralf certainly talks a hell of a good game.
In his first press conference, he was mightily impressive and will clearly leave the players in no doubt about exactly what is required.
And it might not be a whole lot of fun.
“My approach .. is to minimise the coincidence factor and to have control of the game. This is what football is about.”
But after revealing he watched the defeats by Liverpool and Manchester City, you can understand why Rangnick’s priority is to stop his United team conceding as many goals was they have so far this season.
But that sort of organisation and discipline takes a long time to instil and that is where the elephant comes into the room.
As Rangnick - a youthful 63 - sat there, explaining his philosophy, there cannot have been anyone watching who thought this looked like a guy who was not in this for the long haul.
That makes this six-month interim business seem a touch farcical. Or a red herring, even.
The proof of Rangnick’s suitability will come out on the pitch, starting at Old Trafford against Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace on Sunday.
And those who have serious reservations about his suitability could yet be proved right.
After all, there is a reason why Rangnick only had to be prised away from Lokomotiv Moscow. There are reasons he has not actually won anything of significance as a coach. There are reasons why he has had to wait this long before getting his first head coaching role at a truly elite club.
But in his presentation to the media and to the world on Friday, he SOUNDED like a man who has the tools to get it right.
And he SOUNDED like a man who is not planning on going away next summer or, even, any summer soon after that.
Now, after impressively talking the talk, let’s see if he can get his players to walk the walk.
