There are three certainties in life - death, taxes and speculation surrounding the future of Erik ten Hag's position as manager of Manchester United.
Once again, the Dutchman's place at the head of one of the biggest clubs in the world has veered from perpetual jeopardy to tangible trouble after a 3-0 loss to Tottenham.
For Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the decision to retain the former Ajax boss appears to be one that will haunt the early part of his tenure at Old Trafford - but is now the time to stick or twist?
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DAZN lays out the case for and against Erik ten Hag's future at Manchester United, and whether it is time to say goodbye.
Should Manchester United stick with Erik ten Hag?
Success in the post-Alex Ferguson era has been both an elusive and ephemeral concept for United, worsened in no small part by the dominance of rivals Manchester City.
But by several key metrics, Ten Hag has laid a serious claim to be one of the most successful managers in the wake of the Scotsman's retirement, even with his troubles.
Silverware after the barren years of the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era ensured the trophy cabinet was flung open once more, first with the Carabao Cup and then the FA Cup this year.
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By win ratio too, the Dutchman is third among permanent managers, trailing only Ferguson and Mourinho with a 56.10 percent victory record across all competitions.
Even with last year's lacklustre league performance, Ten Hag has battled against the odds - with no Premier League team suffering more injuries than United last term, with 45.
The INEOS-led review in the summer certainly backed his standing, and his targets in the transfer window too, a point Ten Hag highlighted after the loss to Spurs.
"We all made the decision to stay together as ownership and a leadership group in the summer," he said. "We made the decision from after a clear review."
United will be keenly aware of the pitfalls that come with discontinuity in the hot seat too. Any new manager won't necessarily want Matthijs de Ligt or Joshua Zirkzee in their plans.
Ten Hag has managed to come back from the brink before, to triumph against the odds. Two years into his project, perhaps it is best to let him see through the next steps.
Should Manchester United finally sack Erik ten Hag?
A team can only fall back on excuses so many times before the finger has to fall on the man tasked with guiding them around the park - and Ten Hag's time should be up.
The Cristiano Ronaldo fiasco during his first term was well-weathered, and a return to the top four, along with the Carabao Cup, may have bought him plenty of goodwill.
But last term's failings do not appear to have been addressed so far despite the vote of confidence in him by Ratcliffe, exposing his flaws on the biggest Premier League stages.
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Heavy defeats to Liverpool and now Tottenham, plus lacklustre management in their first Europa League game versus Twente have shown a team with seemingly little resolve.
At the front and the back, there is trouble, with only five goals scored and eight conceded in the top flight. Their xG against Spurs was a paltry 0.98 against 5.33 for the visitors.
Some transfers, like Harry Kane, may have got away from United, but Ten Hag has still cherry-picked his former Ajax side for favourites with little to show for improvement too.
Yes, there are the injuries, and yes, there is the lack of consistency they bring, and yes, there are the unforseen variables, such as Sunday's red card for Bruno Fernandes.
Yet the Dutchman has still lost more games in his past 28 matches than Gary Neville did in the same duration during his awful short spell as Valencia boss eight years ago.
Even with a team studded by international favourites, the lack of cohesion suggests a dressing room in disarray - and now, before it gets worse, may be the time to pull the trigger.