Adam Lawrence returned to Manchester United this January after a brief spell at Newcastle United.
Go back just under 12 months, Manchester United academy fans were devastated to hear they would be losing the star Under-18s boss to Newcastle United, during a time when INEOS were building the club up with so many promising hires in the backroom staff.
On Tuesday evening, though, Lawrence was leading Manchester United's under-21s side in the Premier League International Cup quarter-final against Real Madrid. Lawrence returned to the club to replace Travis Binnion on a short-term basis after the former under-21s head coach made the step up to assist Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick.
"I've not really thought longer than the end of this current season," said Lawrence in the lead-up to Tuesday's game. "It's too early anyway, and I've not put too much time and energy into that, to be honest.
"At the moment, everyone is just really concentrated on what we've got coming up between the first team and the academy programme.
"It's my job to put energy into the players, keep supporting them and work together with the staff to maximise their last two months.
"Things will just happen organically over time."
Adam Lawrence is an interim head coach until the end of the season, who plays good football that excites the Old Trafford crowd, but does not know if he will be here after the end of the season. Sound familiar? It sounds like Michael Carrick.
And, in truth, Lawrence's future is likely dependent on Carrick's. If the former No.16 is handed the full-time position at the end of the season, Travis Binnion could remain on his coaching staff, therefore, handing the under-21s job to Adam Lawrence. But if Carrick leaves and United appoint a new head coach, Binnion will almost certainly return to his under-21s role.
But, forgetting the hypotheticals, does Lawrence deserve to stay at Old Trafford?
Lawrence's set up against Madrid
When facing Real Madrid, even their youth sides, many managers like to set their teams up to be solid without the ball and counterattack at every opportunity they get, without any real value on having possession. Lawrence, though, is not just any manager.
The under-21s head coach went man-for-man without the ball - a risky tactic if not deployed correctly, but United did not have that issue. The Fletcher twins pushed high on Madrid's double pivot, while one of Aljofree and Fredricson stepped into midfield to cover the centre-forward dropping deep.
The two goals conceded in traditional time may confuse you to think it did not work, but they were two sloppy defensive errors in the penalty area. The first, a cross came in from the right-hand side, and Castrelo took it down inside the box, before placing it in the roof of the goal. And the second, a ball cut back to the edge of the box was blocked, but not well enough as it cannoned in past Murdock in between the sticks.
Another poor goal to concede came in extra time, but that could be put down to tiredness, rather than a poor setup. The fourth goal was largely the same, too.
Real Madrid dominated possession, as you would expect a team to do who play in the third tier of their country's pyramid, despite being an academy side. In Spain, youth sides make up the football pyramid, while in England, they merely play against other academy players of their age.
When in possession, Lawrence asked his side to move the ball with pace, but not in contrast to keeping the ball. United would often recycle possession to their defence, before attempting to move through the lines quickly when they saw a gap - much like how Michael Carrick sets up his United side.
Will Lawrence's stay help United?
It is all good and well saying a coach plays good football, but at youth level, if they do not develop players, then there is no point in them being there. Lawrence must be more than a good coach to remain at Old Trafford; he must be a good developer of talent, too.
In 2023/24, Lawrence won both the Premier League North and the Premier League National trophies while using a wide squad, including Jacob Devaney, who is now excelling on loan at St. Mirren in the Scottish league.
Throughout the game against Madrid, Lawrence was seen encouraging his players and helping them to play in the right spaces, rather than shouting at them for poor game management or berating them for not following instructions. The very example of good man-management.
Travis Binnion, while very vocal, is very similar. Darren Fletcher, too.
Lawrence is a Manchester United coach. And a good one at that.