As Manchester United face their most difficult test of the post-Mourinho era, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will take his side to Wembley where the awaiting Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino remains a prime contender for the role currently held by the Norwegian.
Long-rumoured to be United's ideal managerial appointment, Gary Breen is not alone in thinking that the execution of such well-laid plans have scarcely proved to be easy for the club's visible hierarchy.
"If you think about this hierarchy at United, they have not been decisive enough," Breen stated on OTB AM this morning.
"They weren't decisive enough when Pep Guardiola came out of his sabbatical and ended up going to Bayern Munich instead.
"They weren't decisive enough when they were flirting with Pochettino a couple of seasons ago.
"With hindsight, that would have been the time to bring him in.
Although appointing the Argentine may still appear the most desirable move for Manchester United, Breen acknowledges that the club's hierarchy are now faced with the surprising issue of having a manager in place who has thus far proved himself to be up to the task.
"If [Solskjaer] was to continue winning, it puts [United's hierarchy] in a very difficult position," Breen suggested.
"If Pochettino was to get that United job in the summer, after Solskjaer had done so well, it is going to put massive pressure on him.
"This is a massive rebuilding job, and there will be a few bumps in the road.
"As soon as that happens, the United fans will be saying, 'why didn't we give it to Solskjaer? He understands United.'
"I think, ultimately, if Pochettino was going to take over, it had to be from Mourinho - a clean break."
Predicting plenty of "twists and turns" in the saga surrounding United's eventual full-time appointment, Breen remains unconvinced that Solskjaer has necessarily demonstrated that he has what it takes to fulfill the role over a longer period.
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