Michael Carrick returns to his native Newcastle on Wednesday knowing that a remarkable Premier League record is in his sights.
Nobody has ever gained more than the 23 points the Manchester United head coach has amassed in his opening nine games in charge in the top flight.
Across his two spells as Reds boss, he has overseen seven victories and two draws, remaining unbeaten. Of course, his time at Middlesbrough was served in the Championship.
These are the joint-best figures since the league's inception in 1992, alongside Ange Postecoglou.
The Australian made an extraordinary opening to life at Tottenham Hotspur, as the north Londoners charged to the top of the table in 2023.
A 2-0 home win over the Reds was part of their unbeaten run, which continued into a 10th game, with a 2-1 triumph at Crystal Palace.
Hence, United need to win in midweek to match that feat across 10 matches. We could set up the opportunity to beat the record in the home game against Aston Villa, which is not being played until 15 March.
Spurs' superb spell came to a crashing halt in early November 2023, when they were reduced to nine men at home to Chelsea and ended up seeing their bold approach ultimately punished with a 4-1 loss.
Carrick won two of his three matches during his previous spell as caretaker boss, drawing with Chelsea, and the only match we have not won since he took over the reins was the 1-1 draw at his former club West Ham recently.
The Reds are showing great spirit and determination and sit third in the table, above Villa, following their 2-0 reverse to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night.