The six-month stint as Manchester United manager of Ralf Rangnick is one of the most baffling episodes in the club's recent history.
The German technical director was named as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's interim successor in late November despite not having done any management in the previous decade, with United stressing how much knowledge the German had to impart.
The club's worst results in living memory were two wins from the final nine games of the season, including a 4-0 hammering at Seagulls, which was one of the few positives to come out of the debacle.
His era was dismissed as a waste of time because he won't take a two-year role as a consultant.
The permanent replacement for Solskjaer was unaware of what role United had in mind for the 63-year-old, who was mediocre as a manager and is now not needed for his technical expertise.
Is this a sign of clear vision and progress at a club that is trying to find its way out of a mess that saw them finish sixth last season, with their worst points total of the Premier League era, or a club that has lost its way?
The six-days-a-month agreement they struck for his involvement beyond the end of the season was not necessary for United. Everyone else already knew his thoughts.
Growing increasingly frustrated by a squad unable and unwilling to implement his tactics, Rangnick used his pre-match news conferences to deliver some pretty stark home truths.
He made it very public that he believed United could make 10 new signings this summer, that they needed more physical players, and that the team spirit was sorely lacking.
He said the answers on recruitment were not rocket science.
When he was asked about Rangnick at his first news conference, Ten Hag was not interested.
He said that it was on the club. It made sense for the agreement to be ended before it really began because of the statement that United is moving in the right direction.
The period in charge of United gave them time to carry out an extensive process to find a long-term successor to Solskjaer.
The manager and recruitment department still have the power to veto potential transfer targets, but United believe what they now have in place will provide more consistency.
Steve Brown is the head of recruitment operations at United and he will have his own thoughts on players.
There will be no involvement at the executive level until potential deals reach their final stages.
Richard Arnold wants to empower those with the right skills to make decisions.
Many of the players he is looking at, such as defenders Jurrien Timber and Lisandro Martinez, and winger Antony, play for his former club, and Ten Hag should be able to operate with a greater degree of freedom.
There is realism to the summer vision of United.
With a limited budget, the club are adamant they won't overpay, and there will not be a United premium.
It would be difficult to raise additional funds and bring in the 10 players Rangnick spoke about.
The five players who are out of contract at the end of the month are not being paid. Phil Jones and Eric Bailly are two defenders who appear to have no future at the club.
Beyond that, there are players who have been on loan, such as Diogo Dalot, Amad Diallo, and others, who Ten Hag needs to assess.
There are bigger names like forward Marcus Rashford and defenders Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire who are capable of more than they have shown recently.
The task of Ten Hag is to create a cohesive unit that can play the kind of football he demands.
The work begins when the non-international players begin their pre-season training. The first test will be in Thailand on July 12.
By that time, Rangnick will be gone. The job of Ten Hag is to keep him out of sight.
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