Chris Smalling did not even need to look as far as the Old Trafford stands to appreciate that Manchester United had become a hard watch in the post Sir Alex Ferguson landscape.

It was, he says, written on the faces of his own friends and family. Yet the sense of anticipation and excitement that was synonymous with watching United play is being re-established under the temporary stewardship of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and, according to Smalling, the players - like the fans - feel just as liberated.

“I definitely get that,” the United defender says. “Even my own friends and family, and people who stop you in the street, there is that feel-good factor. It’s going through the team and that translates to the fans.”

Solskjaer’s superb start was given a sharp reality check on Tuesday night when Paris St-Germain inflicted his first defeat in 12 matches, a reminder that United still have a way to go to emerge triumphantly from the troubles of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho’s reigns.

But Monday’s trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round offers the perfect opportunity to bounce back quickly against a side who are smarting from their own setback after a 6-0 trouncing at Manchester City.