Manchester United fans were desperate to see the club put the poorest season for decades behind them on the opening day of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, but defeat against Brighton made it feel like nothing had changed.
Although the appointment of Erik ten Hag promised a new era, the same problems occurred on that afternoon as Pascal Gross' first-half double stunned Old Trafford, making the optimism for the season evaporate.
Brighton survived a late onslaught to win 2-1 and it hadn't taken long for the new manager bubble to burst. "It's a hell of a job," an honest Ten Hag conceded about the size of the challenge ahead of his post-match interview.
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That opening day felt disastrous at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight, it was always likely to happen. The team was at an embryonic stage and the starting line-up would look completely different on the final day of the season.
Harry Maguire, Fred and Scott McTominay started the game, while Christian Eriksen played as a false nine with Jadon Sancho on the right wing. That's without mentioning Brighton subsequently secured the highest place finish in their club's history.
Cristiano Ronaldo replaced Fred shortly after half-time in the game, however, with the exception of that substitution, Ten Hag, clearly hopeful his players would find an equaliser, waited until the 90th minute to make other changes.
Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Elanga and Tyrell Malacia came on but ultimately to no avail. It was a disappointing afternoon and the start of a few particularly disappointing weeks for Garnacho.
United turned it around after the Brentord debacle, but it was still a frustrating time for Garnacho on an individual basis, as he didn't make an appearance in the league again until Aston Villa on November 6.
Garnacho was absent from the matchday squad for a handful of league games during that period and he'd featured for the Under-21s in the formerly named Papa John's Trophy instead, a far cry from the Premier League.
The reason for his demotion was his attitude. Garnacho was also the only outfield player not to be given a single minute on the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia and his application in training was harming his prospects.
Ten Hag and Bruno Fernandes confirmed before his league return that Garnacho's attitude had let him down on that tour. The manager was not impressed and Fernandes said 'he was not at his best' and 'he knows we expect a lot from him'.
Garnacho fought his way back into contention by improving his attitude and impressing in the Carabao Cup and Europa League, giving him the platform to cement himself as a valued member of the first-team squad after the World Cup.
The youngster finished the season with five goals and five assists and that was a strong return for his debut senior season, especially when in terms of normal progression, he would have spent the year playing for the U21s.
It was the one-year anniversary of last season's opening defeat against Brighton earlier in the week and 12 months on, Garnacho is hopeful of starting the first clash of the 23/24 campaign, instead of making a small cameo.
The rate of his progression has been impressive and it's surprised academy coaches. Garnacho has excelled in the first-team environment at Carrington and most fans want to see him start on the left against Wolves on Monday night.
With Rasmus Hojlund currently sidelined with a minor back injury, Marcus Rashford is set to start down the middle, which means Garnacho and Jadon Sancho are the most attractive options to start on the left wing.
Although both players have enjoyed decent pre-seasons, Sancho has played in central roles across the summer and the logical choice would be to start Garnacho, who usurped the former Borussia Dortmund star in the pecking order last term.
Garnacho is everything that Sancho isn't at the moment; he's pacy, direct and a threat to the opponent. His development has been a pleasure to follow over the last year and starting on the opening day of the season would be a milestone.
Wolves will play deep at Old Trafford and Garnacho's directness could be key in unlocking their backline.