Manchester United, in recent weeks, have been seriously impressive. After losing their opening two matches of the season against Brighton and Brentford, the Reds have responded well - winning four successive Premier League matches. The recent results, which include victories over Liverpool and Arsenal, have all come with talisman Cristiano Ronaldo starting on the bench.
Ronaldo was not part of United's pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia after the veteran striker was granted additional time off to deal with a family issue. He was scheduled to rejoin his teammates towards the end of pre-season but was instead keeping fit at Portugal's training base - Cidade do Futebol - as speculation around his future intensified.
His only appearance for the Reds before the start of the new season came against Rayo Vallecano, with the Portuguese international featuring for 45 minutes before being replaced by Amad Diallo.
Understandably, then, Ronaldo found himself on the bench for the opening day defeat to Brighton, before starting against the Bees the following week. His performances - like a number of his teammates' - left a lot to be desired, but it was clear that the 37-year-old was far from match-fit.
The lack of a proper pre-season campaign was evident in his showings - and Erik ten Hag had already discussed how important the teams' preparation for the new season was going to be.
Speaking about Ronaldo missing pre-season earlier this month, the United boss said: "As we all know he (Ronaldo) didn’t have the pre-season and you cannot miss the pre-season.
"It is a base and especially in the game we play, the way of play. We play another type compared to last year. It depends on the demands, cooperation and certain positioning [of players], in and out of position, and the other thing is fitness."
Ronaldo, who has made seven appearances so far this term, has failed to - yet - register a goal or an assist. He started in the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad in the Europa League last week, but has been forced to settle for a place amongst the substitutes in the Premier League in recent weeks.
French defender Raphael Varane, who won four Champions League titles alongside Ronaldo during their time together with Los Blancos, believes that the striker is playing catch-up and has echoed his manager's claim that "you cannot miss pre-season".
Speaking in an interview with TCL Global this week, he said: "As we said, Ronaldo is here. And, as we all know, he didn’t have a pre-season. You cannot miss pre-season. It’s a base.
"Especially with the game we play, the way we want to play. We don’t play in the same way we did last year, there is no comparison.
"This demands cooperation and it demands certain positioning in – and out – of possession. The other thing is his fitness."
Scott McTominay also previously opened up about the importance of a good pre-season ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
He told the official Manchester United website: "It’s important that bulk of work you do in pre-season – it’s absolutely vital for the rest of the season.
"It’s impossible for us to train in this way through the season. This has been a really good chance to nail down the finer details to put into practice this season and to allow us to keep pushing forward to be ready for the start of the season."
Fellow senior United star David De Gea also opened up about the problems the squad had last season over players reporting for duty late, speaking while he was out on the club's pre-season tour of Asia and Australia this summer as Ronaldo stayed at home.
He told The Athletic: "We needed a better culture of football, of just thinking about football, nothing else. Of course, you cannot be late. People who work in their jobs, you cannot be late."
Ronaldo eventually played his first pre-season match on July 31 when United drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano – reporting for duty more than two weeks later than his teammates.
While it remains to be seen what will happen with Ronaldo in the January transfer window, it appears that the 37-year-old is set for a period of coming on from the bench. His teammates and manager will, undoubtedly, continue to back him, but his pre-season - or lack thereof - has clearly had an impact on his chances of starting for the Reds.
In contrast, Ten Hag has suggested that Jadon Sancho's 'good' pre-season has helped him at the start of the season, with the England winger scoring twice so far this term.
"I am really happy for Jadon Sancho. He scored many in pre-season and put a low of investment in, but now he is getting his rewards," Ten Hag said after the recent win over Leicester City.
"He had quite a good pre-season, he understands he has to invest physically, (and) that's what he did."