Though they left it late, Manchester United got off the mark for the new Premier League season on Friday night with a victory over Fulham at Old Trafford.
New signing Joshua Zirkzee scored the winner with just three minutes left to play, ensuring a happy start to the campaign after last season's chaos at United.
Victory in May's FA Cup final over bitter rivals Manchester City put a gloss on United's season which, in truth, had been dismal up to that point. An eighth-placed finish in the Premier League table marked their worst finish of the Premier League era, while they exited the Champions League at the group stages.
Though it is hard to imagine Erik ten Hag's side will be worse than last season, you would be hard-pressed to find a Manchester United fan optimistic of any significant push for silverware this year.
However, when ex-captain Gary Neville appeared alongside Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football for their annual ritual of predicting the Premier League season, he would make a hugely bold shout his former club.
Not only did Neville suggest United would finish in the top four but he went further in suggesting they could end up in third and ahead of Liverpool.
Unsurprisingly, Jamie Carragher took issue with the prediction - with Neville offering a questionable explanation for why he was more enthusiastic about United's prospects.
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Gary Neville thinks Manchester United midfield stronger than Liverpool's
When asked where he thought Manchester United were superior to Liverpool, Gary Neville pointed to Erik ten Hag's midfield as an area where there was more depth than that at Liverpool.
I think Liverpool have got a better team than Manchester United. I think Liverpool have got far better forwards, that is the thing that they do have.
[But] in midfield, if I look at Manchester United's midfield players...if you had equal coaches - and we don't know how Erik ten Hag and Arne Slot are going to match up.
I do think Liverpool, with Endo, Szoboszlai, and Mac Allister, they've done unbelievably well to get the performance levels out of those three that they have under Jurgen Klopp.
I really do question that that midfield is going to stand up throughout a season. If it does again, [I will] take my hat off to them, well done, unbelievable, proved me wrong.
I think Manchester United have got more in midfield, they've got more depth, they've got good players in there.
[Last season] it was the structure of the midfield. Kobbie Mainoo's coming into that now alongside Casemiro. Fernandes is in there, Mason Mount's in there, McTominay's in there. They've got five players in there.
They've got more depth in there.
It's certainly a bold shout.
Last season, Liverpool's midfielders thrived, particularly Alexis Mac Allister. There are reasonable question marks about how the team will function after the departure of Jurgen Klopp as manager but the evidence of last season suggests that Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai function well together.
By contrast, Manchester United's midfield was a mess last season, something Jamie Carragher was keen to remind Neville of.
Captain Bruno Fernandes is undoubtedly one of the Premier League's finest playmakers, but the system around him was entirely dysfunctional for large portions of the season. Kobbie Mainoo has huge promise, but there are valid questions to be asked as to whether Casemiro can continue to play at the highest level.
There are also major concerns about the fitness of Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen, while Scott McTominay has been linked with a move away from the club in recent weeks.
Whatever concerns one may have about Liverpool's midfield, they are almost certainly matched by those about Manchester United's midfield.
Time will tell how Erik ten Hag tackles his issues in the middle of the park this season.
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