Manchester United fans were hopeful not long ago. A club legend had steadied the ship and made course for the Champions League. Academy star Kobbie Mainoo was back on the pitch and thriving. Only the best bits of Bruno Fernandes were on show.

Sure, this season would be different with a more hectic schedule and the added pressure on Michael Carrick that comes with a permanent appointment, but the green shoots of optimism were there and they could watch the World Cup safe in the knowledge that their club was back on the right path.

Even more recently, they were jubilant. They hadn’t started the season brilliantly but ‘in Carrick we trust’ and that shaky beginning was dwarfed in significance by the news that their ‘noisy neighbours’ had been found guilty of breaching 114 Premier League rules.

They might be shot into oblivion, their titles could be stripped; they will surely be punished to the extent that – for a short time at least – Manchester City won’t be the best team in Manchester. Praise be.

But City’s guilt, the doomed appeal and the punishment timeline had since been overshadowed, in the minds of Manchester United fans but also the broader English football-verse, by the Red Devils sliding effortlessly back into crisis.

Carrick is set for a ‘stay of execution’ after a decision was reached following a meeting between Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a couple of Glazers, CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.

He’ll be in charge for Chelsea and – if that’s not a complete disaster – will likely stay on for the games against Roma and Aston Villa before an international break which will allow the poor sap who’s set to replace him a bit more time to get their feet under the table.

Carrick was cheered by the Man Utd faithful as he left the Old Trafford pitch following the 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth, before a quite remarkable tone shift resulted in those very same fans vociferously booing their own players.

They know that Carrick’s not to blame, and short of Wilcox, Berrada, Ratcliffe and the Glazers breaking cover to take their medicine for systematically ruining their football club, the work-shy players were the next best thing at which to aim their wrath.

The only possible way to fix Manchester United is through new ownership. The Glazers and the right-wing straw man they brought into the mix nearly three years ago have to go.

After saddling Man Utd with £600m worth of debt following their leveraged takeover 21 years ago, many of the problems the club has suffered since, on and off the field, can be attributed to the absentee Glazers.

Ratcliffe meanwhile, promised the “best in class” when he arrived in February 2024 and has done the exact opposite. No top football club would have Jason Wilcox and Michael Carrick as the pair responsible for carrying out their footballing vision.

The Glazers hold a 72% stake in the club and also retain full control of any potential sale due to a so-called “drag-along clause” in their agreement with Ratcliffe which will means the petrochemicals chief will be required to dispense with his stake if they sell to a third party.

Who could they sell it to? Sources told ESPN earlier this week that ‘there is no market right now for investors looking to buy a Premier League team’, largely because of the uncertainty surrounding Manchester City, the guilty verdict and the outcome of their appeal.

Investment is risky given the wide range of possible punishments on the table and it’s claimed ‘any potential buyer is likely to wait for that process to play out’.

ESPN sources claim there are two potential sale triggers for the Glazers: Manchester City being relegated from the Premier League and removed as a major rival, and the construction of a new stadium at Old Trafford.

Manchester United fans responded to a survey on plans for the new 100,000-seater stadium with chants of “you can stick your stadium up your arse” on Sunday, and ground is yet to be broken on a predicted six-year construction.

They can’t wait that long. There are some suggestions that the City punishment is “years” away too, but there’s also a chance that it’s imminent, and the Manchester United fans need some hope to cling to.

And what a day that would be. Maybe the greatest of days. There have been a few in their history, sure. But any as significant as the Glazers putting the club up for sale on the day Manchester City are relegated from the Premier League? They can dream, at least.