The January transfer window brought with it hopes of a fresh start for players and clubs who had struggled to make their mark in the first half of the season.
A host of high profile names completed temporary moves as they sought to impress both their parent clubs and new employers ahead of potential summer moves.
But none of them had expected a global pandemic to block their path as they dusted down their boots and prepared to inject new life into their careers.
Sportsmail looks at the star names who have been left in limbo by coronavirus and now face uncertain futures as they sit and wait for the pandemic to pass.
Odion Ighalo
There's nothing worse than watching a Hollywood story unfold in front of your eyes and then being denied the ending.
Ighalo, a childhood United fan, completed a shock loan move to Old Trafford on deadline day having spent the previous two years playing his football in China.
The striker's arrival was ridiculed by critics, who claimed Ighalo was way down United's list of options and was a sign of United's decline.
Ighalo made it out of China and just before the country put in place a lockdown to halt the spread of coronavirus, while the striker didn't travel to United's winter training camp in Spain in case he wasn't allowed back in England.
With the coronavirus hurdle seemingly overcome, the striker has since scored four goals in eight games for his new club, including one of the goals of the season in Thursday's 5-0 win over LASK in the first leg of their last 16 tie.
His form has led to rumours United could make his move permanent in the summer, but his flying start has now been brought to an abrupt halt after Premier League games were postponed until April 3.
Ighalo must now hope he's done enough in his first eight games to convince Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he's worthy of permanent deal at the end of the season.
Danny Rose
Danny Rose smiled for the first time in months when he shook hands on a six-month loan deal at Newcastle on the final day of the January transfer window.
After starting the 2019 Champions League final, the departure of Mauricio Pochettino had seen him lose his place at Tottenham under Jose Mourinho.
With Euro 2020 on the horizon, as well as his 30th birthday, Rose decided enough was enough and instructed his agent to find him a new club.
After watching Jetro Willems succumb to a serious injury at Newcastle, Rose told his representative to contact the Magpies and a deal was duly struck between player and club.
Upon signing, Rose revealed his desire to gatecrash England's Euro 2020 squad but after making six appearances for his new club, the defender's bright start to life in the north-east has been stopped in its tracks.
Rose has been robbed of the chance, for now at least, of impressing England boss Gareth Southgate and putting himself in the shop window for a summer move.
Victor Moses
It's not often that a player bags himself a loan move to a bigger club midway through the season but that's what Victor Moses did when he secured a six-month loan move to Inter in January.
Moses had spent the first half of the season on loan from Chelsea at Fenerbahce but traded the Turkish club for a move to the title-chasing Serie A side.
The winger turned wing-back was reunited with former Blues boss Antonio Conte, under whom he'd enjoyed the best spell of his career between 2016 and 2018.
The move presented a very real chance of winning silverware and earning a permanent move to the Serie A giants, particularly with his current deal set to expire this summer.
Life has started well for Moses in Italy, but the scale of the coronavirus pandemic in the country saw some games played behind closed doors before they were postponed indefinitely last week.
Having made seven appearances for Inter since joining the club, the Nigerian must hope he has done enough to impress Conte, while hoping Inter can mount a late charge for the title if the season resumes.
Cedric Soares
It probably came as a surprise to Cedric Soares when Arsenal came knocking for his services in January and that Southampton allowed him to join the Gunners on loan.
The defender was injured when Arsenal registered their interest, while he had been a regular in Ralph Hassenhuttl's back four in the first half of the season.
Soares jumped at the chance to move but had to first complete his rehabilitation from a knee ligament injury before he could train with his new team-mates.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed in February that his new signing was nearing a return but just as Soares looked to be set to make his debut coronavirus intervened and left him in limbo.
The 28-year-old's contract at Southampton expires in the summer, meaning his loan spell had provided him with the perfect chance to put his case forward for a permanent deal at the Emirates.
But with Soares yet to make an appearance and with a recent injury on his record, the chances of him pulling on the red and white of Arsenal and staying at the club beyond this season appear remote.
Patrick Cutrone
When it rains, it pours for poor Patrick Cutrone. The striker was a happy man after sealing a £15million to Wolves from AC Milan last summer but things haven't quite gone to plan.
Cutrone scored just two goals in 15 Premier League games for his new club before being offloaded to Fiorentina on an 18-month loan deal just six months after moving to the Midlands.
A second fresh start in a matter of months hasn't gone to plan, either, with Cutrone failing to score in his first seven appearances for the Viola.
If you thought that was bad, well, things have got even worse. With Italy in lockdown as the country tries to get a hold on the coronavirus pandemic, the nation's footballers have also fallen victim to the illness.
Cutrone tested positive for the virus on Saturday, alongside several other players in the squad, and must now remain in isolation for an indefinite period until he is no longer infectious.
All sport in the country has been postponed until April 3, meaning Cutrone isn't likely to break his Serie A scoring duck for Fiorentina any time soon, and he may welcome the break as he bids to relocate his goalscoring boots.
