Last Friday afternoon Steve McClaren, when discussing his previous club, said: "It's just Manchester United, not a big ogre, or a monster, or anything to be afraid of."
Approximately 28 hours later, having watched his current club Middlesbrough lose drably to United, McClaren rowed back on Friday's statement. He said that each and every one of those seriously seeking to wrest the title away from United would have their waking moments troubled by thoughts of the Old Trafford side because "even when they're not playing them, subconsciously they'll know that if they slip up, United will be waiting".
The idea that every time Liverpool, Arsenal or Leeds United drop points, the image of Roy Keane smiling like a red devil will appear to them is a believable one. The champions are very much still major players in this campaign.
In the space of four days they may have overcome only Derby County and Middlesbrough, but there is a definite sense that United have run themselves back into something resembling form, while those in front have begun to fret about that very possibility.
Until United re-encounter genuine pretenders to the throne, which will not be for another seven matches, when Liverpool visit Old Trafford at the end of January - Newcastle United at home being the most difficult fixture in that run - it will be impossible to tell just how great the Keane and co recovery is.
But there is the chance that United could enter that Liverpool clash unbeaten for six weeks. David Beckham would be refreshed and Ryan Giggs would be match fit. As McClaren intimated, it is a haunting prospect.
Of course it will take a conscious effort from United for that to happen, but there were good omens in this game. This was a poor game of football, but the sort potential title-holders must win. "I remember in my time we won championships on one-nils," said McClaren.
Winning any game 1-0 would do McClaren now, given that his team have scored only once in seven hours. On Saturday Middlesbrough lacked the ambition and ability to press the champions with any real urgency, even when United were struggling to get Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer into the play. Consequently there was not a lot happening of consequence. But once Juan Veron gave up his anonymity on the right to join the remarkable Keane more often in the middle, the visitors established territorial superiority. The 71st minute saw the first shot on target, from Veron, but the next seven minutes featured misses from Mikael Silvestre, Keane, Veron again and Giggs.
There was also Van Nistelrooy's goal - his 17th of the season - and though it came from the wing, it was not Beckham's right one. The loss of Giggs for a month has been overshadowed by the dropping of Beckham, but the Welshman was a vital component of Alex Ferguson's sides long before Beckham, and so he proved again.
Collecting Silvestre's short pass, Giggs ran skilfully at Robbie Stockdale, who hitherto had faced Nicky Butt. Giggs's footwork engineered enough space in which to send in a low centre. Mark Crossley should have held it but instead palmed it across goal and Van Nistelrooy stabbed it in.
That provoked a belated charge from the home team, during which Roy Carroll made his one save from Noel Whelan. Paul Ince also worried Carroll. It was much too little and much too late. Whelan, Ince - Middlesbrough need new faces. And that United's may be the face in the mirror of Liverpool, Arsenal and Leeds.
MIDDLESBROUGH: Crossley, Stockdale, Southgate, Ehiogu, Queudrue, Ince, Greening, Mustoe, Marinelli, Boksic, Ricard (Whelan 63). Subs Not Used: Beresford, Cooper, Okon, Nemeth. Booked: Ince, Queudrue.
MANCHESTER UTD: Carroll, Gary Neville, Blanc, O'Shea (Phil Neville 13), Silvestre, Veron, Keane, Butt (Giggs 65), Scholes, van Nistelrooy, Solskjaer. Subs Not Used: Van Der Gouw, Yorke, Irwin. Booked: Silvestre, Butt, Keane. Goal: van Nistelrooy 75.
Referee: D Elleray (Harrow-on-the-Hill).
