Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox has shed further light on how the club intend to navigate future transfer windows and why there are signs of progress at Old Trafford.
United's recent upturn in form has seen Ruben Amorim begin an impressive run of four matches without defeat - a spell that included a three-match winning run in the Premier League, which was the first time the club had achieved the feat under Amorim.
The Portuguese coach saw his side earn a draw late on at Nottingham Forest to mark his first year at United. After a turbulent 12 months for Amorim and signs seemingly pointing towards the turning of a corner at Old Trafford, what have we learnt from Wilcox's assessment of United and vision for the future?
Wilcox believes 'progress is being made in every area'
United's form has picked up. Last season, a record-low finish of 15th place in the Premier League did very little to inspire confidence at Old Trafford going into the new season.
However, following a summer of change in the playing squad, at the moment, there are green shoots that suggest things are moving in the right direction.
United are currently eighth in the Premier League, in touch of the top five positions that could secure United a return to Europe. Amorim's side can go second in the Premier League if they beat Tottenham in their Saturday lunchtime meeting.
"The most important thing is internally, we know what we need to do," Wilcox told Manchester United's official channels.
"We know where we are as a group. The players understand that and we are making progress on and off the pitch.
"I spoke last week to MUTV, and when I say we're making progress with our processes, the facilities, the structures and the staff - what we've got to do is, despite all the noise, we just have to remain calm, understand that we're moving in a positive direction.
"We are going to have bumps in the road, and it's important that we just smooth out the bumps and don't get overexcited and too disappointed.
"I really feel now this football club is moving in the right direction. That's my own personal view. That's not a biased view because I'm working here.
"When I think about the sporting department, we are making progress in every single area."
Man Utd are working to rebuild and establish their identity
In an interview aired on Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo gave a scathing review of United's current identity and lack of structure. Amorim, too, has received a fair share of scrutiny for his perceived rigid 3-4-3 system. However, Wilcox disagrees and believes the current work being done is helping to establish United's identity and game model.
"We've just got to continue to build the spirit," Wilcox said.
"Continue to build on Ruben's idea. He's got a very clear idea. It's a lot more flexible than people give him credit for.
"We've got to start with the end in mind and understand the game model, how Manchester United are, is really important.
"And we have to pull the jigsaw together. We would love to have all the pieces in place where we can see a very clear picture.
"But while we're building the picture, it's really important. It's even more difficult when you lose some football matches, because people start questioning things. But we're really clear, myself, Ruben, Omar [Berrada] and the ownership. We're really clear on the direction of travel. And this is really important."
How transfers work at Old Trafford
Transfers have been a mystery at Old Trafford for many years. While United have always been active in windows, the opaque nature of United's transfer strategy has opened the door for criticism for supposed slow dealings and reported missed targets.
However, Wilcox lifted the lid on how United's hierarchy work with head coach Amorim to navigate transfers.
"The brief will come from me and Ruben," Wilcox said.
"It goes into Chris [Vivell], a lot of debate and discussion around the profiles of what we need, and then the scouts will go into the market.
"We'll combine that with the data team, and they'll just be in a constant dialogue. Right now, I'm having weekly meetings with the recruitment team on the different profiles.
"The different age brackets, the costs, are they attainable with Ruben as well. So it's a real joined-up approach.
"When we sign a player, there are so many people that are involved in the process, the data team are involved in the process.
"We will then focus all our attention on certain players. And it's really important then that we do the background checks around.
"Are they clean-living professionals? This is really important. This year we looked at Premier League-ready players.
"Certainly with Brian [Mbeumo] and Matheus [Cunha], we couldn't take too much risk in this area.
"We needed players that we could plug in and play with little transition time. Senne [Lammens], we were always looking at goalkeepers who have got huge potential, and Senne was available. We decided to move but it wasn't a knee-jerk reaction.
"Tony Cotton [Man Utd goalkeeper scout] was putting Senne on my radar 12 months ago and he was relentless with it.
"'This guy is going to be a top signing for us. And he's started well, but he's got to keep it going. He's very reflective and he's very professional in his approach."
Wilcox identifies the 'right' signings for Man Utd and promises investment
Summer signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Senne Lammens have played their role in United's upturn in form, with fans impressed with not only their performances but their attitude.
Sky Sports News understands United will make signing a new midfielder a key target for next summer. The club are not expected to be busy in January, having made a significant investment in the team in the previous window; however, the club are continuing work on the market, looking ahead to next summer.
United's recent transfer success is a trend that Wilcox suggests will continue at Old Trafford as the club aim to re-establish themselves at the top of the Premier League, as well as being capable of competing in Europe.
"We have got a clear plan," Wilcox told the United website.
"We know what we have got to do, we know the areas of the team that we have got to improve.
"For us to get in the top four and consistently challenge for Champions League places, win Champions League, win Premier League, we have got to invest in the squad.
"We have got to buy the right players. The right players who are talented but also who can deal with the pressure, who can take the squad forward. It is not always about just signing elite talent; they have got to have the right character and be somebody who can bring something different to the team."