Those who support Manchester United can be forgiven for having a sense of pessimism entering the club’s first two matches of the calendar year. It’s not as if the way the Red Devils ended December inspired any confidence going forward.

Yes, the club came from literally nowhere to take three points from Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. But after a Carabao Cup exit where United showed some resolve in the second half (not to mention taking advantage of Fraser Forster errors), the team literally limped to the end of December. They were outscored by a total of 7-0 in losses to Bournemouth, Wolves, and Newcastle, and the tunnel seemed endless.

So a trip to league leaders Liverpool – who were on a four-game win streak of their own entering the January 5 match – understandably had Red Devil fans fearing the worst. But lo and behold, United not only opened the scoring at Anfield, they had the character to not only scoring a tying goal late, they would’ve won if not for Harry Maguire placing a shot well above the goal frame.

“It’s just one match; it’s a rivalry, records and form can be thrown out the window.” That logic could also be applied to the FA Cup third round tie at Arsenal. And indeed, despite United taking the lead through Bruno Fernandes, they were reduced to 10 men and lost their lead.

But in one of the few appearances he’ll make this season, Altay Bayindir saved one penalty in regulation, then another in a shootout to help United reach the fourth round against the odds.

So a turnaround can be done, though it will hardly be easy. Ruben Amorim predicted “a storm would come” not long after he succeeded Erik ten Hag, and it was indeed unpleasant. But if the club have emerged from the worst of it, they can take pride in those results earned on the road against bitter rivals.

Next up is a home match with a Southampton team that is last in the Premier League by a notable margin. Three points will be expected, but if United play to their true potential, there is still time to get into the fight for European competition through league placement. It could be that Manchester United is ready, finally, to rise again.