Michael Carrick drove away from Manchester United's training ground on Tuesday with his future hanging in the balance after the latest contentious move by the troubled club's chaotic hierarchy.
Carrick had awoken to reports that he would be sacked after a torrid start to the season left United languishing in the Premier League relegation zone.
It would be hard for even Carrick's most ardent fan to complain if the axe fell following United's worst opening to a campaign for 40 years.
But, in keeping with the muddled thinking that seems to afflict United's leadership whenever they are faced with a major decision, Carrick got back in his car after Tuesday's training session still none the wiser about his fate.
Rather than put Carrick out of his misery – or hand him an unexpected reprieve – the 45-year-old United boss was left to twist in the wind.
His future will be decided by influential shareholder Jim Ratcliffe, chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox at a meeting in Monaco on Wednesday.
Although it is said that no final call has been made, Berrada and Wilcox are reportedly leaning towards dismissing Carrick.
Ratcliffe and United owners, the Glazer family, would likely accept that recommendation, plunging the club into yet another managerial crisis.
Weary of their team's steep decline since their last English title in 2013, United fans could be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja vu.
Just two years ago, Erik ten Hag led United out at Wembley for the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City amid intense speculation that he would be sacked regardless of the result. But United's shock win forced Ratcliffe to spend weeks debating Ten Hag's future, including a close-season meeting with Thomas Tuchel in Monaco that ended with the German rejecting the job.
Ten Hag was eventually handed a one-year contract extension prior to the 2024-25 season.
Yet when results dipped at the start of that campaign, he was sacked just three months after being given the new deal.
"They promised me loyalty, they promised me backing, they promised communication. The promises, they didn't keep," Ten Hag fumed.
It was a damning indictment of Ratcliffe and his coterie of advisors, including then sporting director Dan Ashworth.
Ashworth's brief role at United underlined the dysfunction gripping the corridors of power at Old Trafford.
Lured from Newcastle, Ashworth lasted just five months before leaving by mutual consent in 2024, reportedly because he disagreed with the decision to hire Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag's replacement.
SCORCHED EARTH
Perhaps they should have listened because Amorim's miserable 14-month reign ended acrimoniously in January this year after he warned his bosses to stop interfering.
Carrick stepped into the breach as interim boss and his humble demeanour initially served as a welcome tonic to Amorim's scorched earth approach.
United qualified for the Champions League, earning Carrick a permanent contract. But it was a risky move by United's powerbrokers given the ex-Middlesbrough manager's lack of coaching experience at the highest level.
Hampered by United's disappointing transfer window, Carrick came under fire after an embarrassing opening-weekend loss at Hull.
Reports blared that he was certain to be sacked following a 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth, but United surprisingly granted him a stay of execution.
United finally showed some fight in a dramatic win over Roma last week and a last-ditch draw with Aston Villa on Sunday.
Has Carrick built a siege mentality among his squad that could ease the threat of a first relegation since 1974?
United's hierarchy seem typically uncertain, postponing their decision until the Monaco summit while pondering who to hire if they do wield the axe.
Former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is said to have told United he is open to accepting the poisoned chalice despite recently extending his USA contract until 2030.
Eddie Howe, Unai Emery, Antonio Conte and Julian Nagelsmann have also been linked with the 20-time English champions. But as United defender Lisandro Martinez pointedly said last month: "You can't keep changing, changing, changing manager? What about other areas?"
Regardless of that warning, Carrick is likely to be fired after one win in 10 league games, while Berrada and Wilcox are believed to be safe.
"I'm pretty clear where we need to go and how we need to get there," Carrick unconvincingly said recently.
Until United's hierarchy muster a coherent vision of their own, the fallen giants will continue to lurch from one crisis to another.