Ruben Amorim is coming under fresh pressure at Manchester United, so we have leaned on our sources to deliver up-to-date insight into where things really stand right now.
United are desperate for Amorim to spark a revival that convinces them to stay the course rather than rip things up and start again with a new manager.
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, in particular, is reluctant to pull the trigger - not only because of the financial hit it would bring, but because it would derail the long-term vision that was being mapped out when Amorim arrived.
Big money has already been invested in a rebuild shaped around his philosophy, and more is set to follow in January and next summer.
Yet for now, it feels like blind faith as the board continue to wait for the breakthrough moment they believe must come.
United maintain publicly that no shortlist of potential successors is being drawn up - even amid talk of Oliver Glasner, Gareth Southgate and Andoni Iraola.
Behind the scenes, however, our sources confirm there are growing conversations about what direction the club would take if results sink further.
Southgate is understood to hold the least support internally, while Amorim’s refusal to move away from his 3-4-2-1 system - and his insistence that the club would need a different man if they wanted a change of tactics - is beginning to grate.
A bruising 3-1 defeat to Brentford has cranked up the pressure, and now Sunderland’s visit to Old Trafford looms large.
A slip there would be unthinkable, yet it is very much possible.
Sacking Amorim inside his first 12 months would cost £12million in compensation, and although he has hinted he could walk away, insiders say that scenario is extremely unlikely.
The reality is that United want to stick by him and still believe their squad is stronger than the one he inherited.
But the demand is for tangible progress… and quickly.
Champions League qualification has always been viewed as the aim for this campaign, and with no European distractions this week, every ounce of focus is locked on Sunderland and improving their start to this season.
It is shaping up to be another defining test for Amorim’s future.
