Manchester United manager Michael Carrick and captain Bruno Fernandes have held direct, frank talks in a bid to contain the growing crisis inside the club before the eagerly awaited clash with Chelsea.
Fernandes sat as an unused substitute during last Sunday's chastening 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth. The decision stunned everyone.
His exclusion from the starting XI was a direct punishment for publicly criticising Carrick's tactics after the humiliating 4-1 loss to Como in the Champions League. Those remarks lit the fuse on the coaching staff's anger.
Reconciliation without a clear apology
Sources told BBC Sport the pair spoke privately to thrash out their differences and end the tension. Whether Fernandes, who took the captaincy in 2023, offered a formal apology for his comments remains unclear.
The Portuguese playmaker is expected to return to the starting line-up against Chelsea on Saturday as United look to restore some balance.
Carrick survives the sack temporarily
Many expected Carrick to be shown the door after the Bournemouth game. Instead, the board handed him a final chance to lead the team at Stamford Bridge.
United sit 16th in the Premier League with just one win in eight matches this season, yet the board do not hold Carrick fully responsible.
Senior figures believe the players, a squad they rate as capable of reaching the Champions League, are the ones underperforming and carry much of the blame. One of them told BBC Sport: "We all feel a desire to put things right. The players, the coaching staff, everyone."
Welcome news arrived on Wednesday when young midfielder Kobbie Mainoo returned to training after a two-week injury absence.
Replacements on the table
Keeping Carrick for now hasn't stopped the planning. BBC Sport sources say the club have already drawn up a shortlist of potential replacements, including former Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe and ex-Germany and Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Any move for Howe would cost United millions in compensation to Newcastle, those sources explained, whereas Nagelsmann is available as a free agent.