Ruben Amorim has admitted he was filled with dread before matches last season as he knew his Manchester United squad simply wasn't capable of competing at the required level.
The Portuguese boss replaced Erik ten Hag last November but managed only seven victories from 27 Premier League encounters, leaving United languishing in 15th position when the campaign concluded.
The dismal results prompted Amorim to doubt his own abilities as United manager, with the 40-year-old even offering to walk away without any financial compensation if the club believed it was the correct decision.
However, United backed their head coach, who is continuing his mission to restore the fallen Premier League giants to their glory days after confessing he approached fixtures last term expecting disappointment.
"To tell you the truth, it was not how I returned to my house after the games," Amorim said during a break from United's US tour. "It was how I left to go to the games, because I felt that sometimes we would struggle.
"All the struggles that we had in the games, I could feel it before, so that was the hardest part - to go to the games and know that we were not going to be competitive, how we should be. That was the hardest part.
"When I returned, I just looked to my family and tried to think about different things. But if you want to know the most difficult moment, it was before the games, because I knew that we will struggle in specific games.
"I had the feeling during the season that I was so frustrated. I could do nothing, I acknowledged that, so I had to wait. Being manager of Manchester United was like going to a fight with my hands like this [down by his side]. So that was the frustration.
"There were some moments that were really hard on me, because I felt I was disappointing all of these people. When you lose so many games it's hard on everybody to believe in one idea and all the changes. So there were moments when I was really, really frustrated.
"I just don't want to return to that feeling that we're thinking that it's not a 50-50 game. I think we will be a better team. Not just because I truly believe we can be better. But I truly believe there are a lot of players who can do better - and I can be a better manager as well."
Overseeing United might rank amongst the most demanding positions in global football, yet Amorim maintains a grounded outlook regarding his responsibilities.
"This is not the moment I felt the most pressure in my life," said Amorim. "I had a career as a player and I finished really soon because of injuries.
"My wife and I had an Excel sheet with all of the money we had and all of the things that we needed, because I wanted to help my family. With all of that responsibility, I felt the pressure at that time.
"Nowadays, I don't feel any pressure about that. It's more like an ego thing. I want to be manager of United for a while and I took five years to choose this club, so I don't want to fail. That's the only pressure.
"The other pressure, the pressure at the end of my career as a footballer, was different. That was more difficult to deal with."