When Ronald Koeman was shown the door at Goodison Park back in October 2017, it was difficult to imagine a route back to the top for the Dutchman.
What had started as a promising reign at Everton ended with a disastrous run in which the beleaguered Koeman saw his side pick up just eight points in their opening nine league matches – their worst start at the time in more than a decade.
Looking to pick up the pieces, he was being linked with roles at West Brom and West Ham. Just 24 months on though, and there is serious talk of a move to Barcelona.
It has been confirmed that Koeman's Holland contract contains a clause that would allow him to leave his deal for nothing should the La Liga giants come knocking. And with Ernesto Valverde's position looking increasingly precarious with each passing week, the notion does not appear as fanciful as it once did.
The transformation in the short space of time is astonishing, but is also largely down to the man himself and his nurturing of a Holland side that have been turned from perennial also-rans to genuine contenders ahead of next summer's European Championship.
It is a far cry from the man on the touchline who was widely derided when he left Merseyside, having spent north of £140million on a squad that could not gel.
His 16-month tenure came to an end after a 5-2 defeat by Arsenal, the last in sequence of nine matches without a victory in all competitions.
At the time, and even after, Koeman was adamant that all he needed was a touch more time to turn things around, but there were few convinced he was capable of doing so.
The job he has carried out with his national team, however, appears to have altered opinions on his ability to manage at the highest level.
One of the biggest aspects he has benefitted from is the lack of constant scrutiny, and the ability to have more control over media coverage.
The constant churn of Premier League coverage appeared to take its toll on Koeman. While his cold demeanour at Everton was originally seen as a breath of fresh air, it eventually grated on fans and did not help to endear him to the Goodison Park faithful.
He has been sheltered from the constant attention in his international role, and he appears much more comfortable with the press now, even using it to his advantage to further discussion about a possible switch to Barca.
'The clause only involves Barcelona and it's only valid for a moment after the Euro 2020,' he told Fox Sports earlier this month. 'I'm not leaving now. That's 100 per cent sure.'
While his affinity with the Spanish champions does no harm to his cause – he spent six years at the Nou Camp as a player, famously scoring the winner for them against Sampdoria in the 1992 European Cup final – it is his work with Holland's exciting pool of young talent that has really fuelled discussions on him taking the hotseat.
Having taken over a side low in confidence after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Koeman has moulded his country into a team capable of mixing it with the best on the continent and on the cusp of qualifying for Euro 2020.
He has been helped by stumbling upon one of the most gifted group of young players in Holland's history, with the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt and Donny van de Beek all starring.
What bodes well for Koeman is his apparent ability to nurture that talent on the biggest stage, with his group of players reaching the final of the Nations League last summer, which saw them deliver impressive victories against England, Germany and France along the way.
Muscling in on Europe's top table has been helped in small part by a strong spine that includes Virgil van Dijk.
The Liverpool defender is perhaps another small clue as to why Barcelona may be showing genuine interest in Koeman.
The pair have a long history of working together – Van Dijk was brought to the Premier League originally by his national team boss when he joined Southampton from Celtic in 2015.
If that bond can be strengthened by more success at international level, Barcelona may sense an opportunity to tempt the defender away from Anfield if Koeman is part of the package.