“Did I ever tell you what the definition of insanity is?” It was the best of times of what had been the worst of times. Trophyless since 2017, Manchester United had attained in the Premier League their most stable phase since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement by achieving back-to-back top-four finishes across seasons 2019-20 and 2020-21. Despite clearly visible shortcomings, there was a sense of foundation, upon which something could finally be built to prevent the club from going in circles.