It might have been dwarfed by events at the season's end but Manchester United's most successful campaign could easily have been derailed by takeover talk.
An incredible treble, achieved in staggering and scarcely believable circumstances means that 1998-99 only means one thing to United supporters.
It was the crowning glory for Sir Alex Ferguson as the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League were won in a remarkable couple of weeks in May.
But rewind to the opening weeks of the campaign and the prospect of such an historic year looked a little way off. On the pitch United had recorded just one victory - against LSK Lodz in Champions League qualifying - and had been swept aside by Arsenal in the Charity Shield before drawing their opening two matches of the Premier League campaign against Leicester City, where they came from two down in the closing stages, and West Ham.