Manchester United take on Watford this weekend in the Premier League, and a win could take them within a point of Chelsea in fourth place.
With over half the season left to play, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be in a strong position to argue that the momentum is with his side in their pursuit of a top-four finish. The transfer window is due to open in a little over a week, and Solskjaer can make a plausible case to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward that now is the time to back him in the transfer window.
Solskjaer should have money to spend, but he would clearly have far more funds available should United cut their losses on Paul Pogba. As the midfielder gets set to miss yet another game, is it time for United to allow Pogba to make his long-rumoured move away?
Getting it right in the transfer market will be key for United, but Woodward has a history of letting down his managers at key junctures in their tenure.
After finishing in the Champions League places, Louis van Gaal expected Sergio Ramos, but was instead asked to use Chris Smalling and Phil Jones again.
Jose Mourinho wanted Toby Alderweireld but was instead gifted Fred, Lee Grant, Diogo Dalot and fresh air.
Each time, United had a base to build upon and each time Woodward fluffed his lines. Even David Moyes believed he would be given Leighton Baines and Cesc Fabregas, only to be given Marouane Fellaini.
Now, United players expect two signings to be made before the second half of the season gets underway. Erling Haaland is one player who looks set to arrive. He might not have been on a plane to Manchester from Stavanger as anticipated by some, but Solskjaer had an oddly intimate knowledge of his reason for travel.
It is sensible to be suspicious over the equivocation, and the confidence with which the United manager gave away his opinion.
The other position that looks set to be strengthened is midfield. United have been linked with a few players, which suggests that in the expectation that doing business will not be easy in January, the club have a shortlist to work through.
Christian Eriksen, James Maddison and Jadon Sancho are not exactly the same type of player, but each would add their own kind of attacking threat and creativity. Sancho remains United’s number one target of players based abroad, but Maddison has been discussed as a potential recruit, and an approach was made for Eriksen in the previous transfer window.
None of the targets are straightforward. Chelsea believe they have stolen a march on United for Sancho, Eriksen would prefer to move abroad, and Maddison may simply not be for sale as Leicester City are Liverpool’s most credible rival for the title.
Nevertheless, United do want to sign a player who can take charge of a game and lend support to the club’s strikers, and money is not an obstacle in the chase for most of their targets.
That role should have been fulfilled by Pogba. He has spent a sizeable time out of the first team, dropped by Mourinho for various conflicts of opinions, and throughout his time at Old Trafford he has been susceptible to medium-term injuries.
Even now, coming back from a ankle problem, he has been laid low by an unspecified illness that Solskjaer believes could keep him out until the end of the year. Some fans speculate that he is more unwilling than unwell, and a report suggests that a number of United insiders anticipate his departure.
His future is made even less clear by Mino Raiola’s interview with The Telegraph on Friday. Pogba's agent claims that the French star wants to stay at the club and win, but that he requires more support to do so.
That is hardly a full-throttle endorsement but is far more positive than the noises he made over the course of last summer, when his client wanted a move to Real Madrid. A cynic might posit that Pogba knows that Woodward will not let him go, but if he strikes the right chord he could be in line for a new contract, and there will be a chance to kick up another stink in a year and a half.
United might not sell Pogba then, but should they? It is tempting to suggest they cut their losses on a transfer that has fallen well short of expectations. Move on, raise funds, and try something new. That makes perfect sense and if they take that course then few could blame them. But the opposite argument could be made.
If they add Haaland and Sancho - as an example - they would perhaps only be one or two signings from challenging for the title again. Certainly, they would be strong contenders for the top four.
In a positive setting, as Pogba demonstrated at Juventus, he can be an important and joyful presence in midfield, capable of interventions that others could never match. Solskjaer clearly likes him, and Woodward values his reputation.
If United labour to another disappointment against Watford then they may be tempted to give him yet another chance to show the club what he can do, rather than move him on.