Amid much uncertainty surrounding the long-term plan at Manchester United, Kenny Cunningham believes the club are already in a place where they can now kick on significantly.
Since departing Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season, it has been widely felt that it is only a matter of time before Mauricio Pochettino will take over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager of Manchester United.
However, after coming under intense scrutiny throughout the period in which he has been the club's permanent boss, Kenny Cunningham believes that there are signs the Norwegian is finally getting a tune out of his young side.
"You can sense that it is coming together a little bit," he suggested on Thursday's OTB AM. "I don't think it is the case that he now needs to win a cup or get Champions League football. It isn't as simple as that.
"I just think that Ed Woodward (United's executive vice-chairman) needs to see between not and the end of the season that things are coming together and performance levels are rising.
"If that means there's a trophy that comes with that, happy days. But at the end of the season, they have to have that feeling that the club is heading to where it needs to be."
The introduction of Bruno Fernandes into Manchester United's midfield has contributed a much-needed creative spark into Solskjaer's side.
It is with some degree of frustration, however, that the former Sporting Lisbon man is doing a job that had been thought to be Paul Pogba's.
Although the French midfielder has only played a peripheral role in United's season thus far, Cunningham believes that in Pogba United already have the player - along with Fernandes - that could take them to the next level.
"One signing transformed that team," he remarked of Fernandes' arrival. "Forget about everything else because in terms of getting the right player in the right area of the pitch is a massive step forward.
"You mention Pogba, and I'm not being funny, but if there was any chance they could turn that ship around and convince Paul Pogba to stay at that football club, just think about them next season.
"You'd have Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba in those two No. 8 positions in midfield with a holding midfielder behind them. That partnership stands up with [Kevin] De Bruyne and David Silva [at Manchester City].
"The goals and assists that would come from those two players with Paul Pogba focused and totally committed to the club, your talking double-digit goals and assists from two central midfield players. Absolute gold-dust!"
Problematically, the likelihood of Manchester United retaining the services of the French World Cup winner beyond this season appears slim.
"It's not going to happen," conceded Cunningham, "don't get me wrong.
"But they actually have the two players there ready to take the football club onto the next level."
In Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, however, Cunningham sees a manager coming to terms with the challenge he faces.
"I think he has done a reasonable job," he explained. "Some of the criticism has been justified in terms of their performances, but I haven't been prepared to shove him under a bus.
"I've seen enough there in how he sets up the team sometimes, Manchester City away in the league, for example, it was brilliant.
"It was like what we'd call a tactical masterclass. At times, he's got it right."
Watch back the full debate with Kenny Cunningham, Ger Gilroy, Phil Egan and Eoin Sheahan on OTB AM here.
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