The Football Association was troubled by the Balogun situation from the outset, and had requested the release of the documents relating to his overturned ban during the World Cup.

Forward Balogun, 25, was allowed to play against Belgium in the last 16 when he would have expected to be serving a one-match suspension.

The striker had been shown a straight red card for a foul on defender Tarik Muharemovic in the 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the last 32.

Fifa then said the automatic one-match ban would be suspended for a year. No reasoning behind the move was provided, beyond citing a rule which allows punishments to be suspended.

The FA, which had sent a letter of support for Infantino’s re-election before the Balogun incident, had deep concerns about political intervention.

US President Donald Trump later confirmed he called Infantino asking for Balogun’s ban to be reviewed.

Then the FFE proposal, revealed through the media just days after the World Cup final, fractured the game.

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Fifa and Infantino were accused of breaking trust “through deception” in an open letter issued by Uefa, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation last month.

Many national associations, including those of England, Wales and Scotland, have withdrawn letters of support for Infantino’s re-election.

But Infantino still holds a great deal of support around the globe, with the confederations of Africa, South America and Oceania reiterating their backing.

After FFE was cancelled, Infantino called a meeting of the Fifa management board in Rabat, Morocco.

But as yet there has been no contact with the Fifa Council to explain the controversial plan.

That is set to change next month when Infantino must face Hewitt and the other 35 Fifa Council members.

The contrast with his time at Villa could hardly be greater.

In 46 appearances for the Premier League club, the 27-year-old scored 10 goals and registered two assists. Since joining Roma, he has scored 21 goals and provided three assists in just 25 matches.

His scoring rate has improved from one goal every 149.8 minutes at Villa to one every 96.7 minutes in Rome.

On the surface, the figures suggest two very different versions of the same player. But Roma’s success with Malen may owe as much to how he is being used as to any change in confidence or form.

The Dutchman arrived in Italy with a proven goalscoring pedigree and the data suggests Roma have found a role that maximises his attacking instincts.

While confidence and form may have played a part, a change in position appears to be a major factor behind the resurgence.

At Villa, Malen was often used across the frontline and spent only 52% of his league minutes as a central striker. At Roma, 99% of his Serie A minutes have come through the middle under manager Gian Piero Gasperini, making him the focal point of the attack and placing him where he can do the most damage.

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The stats are backed up by the eye test. After Roma’s 1-1 Champions League draw with Fenerbahce last Thursday, when Malen set up his side’s goal, French football journalist Julien Laurens told Match of the Day the Dutchman had become central to Gasperini’s plans.

“He has been incredible since January,” said Laurens.

“He has been really efficient, super clinical. Malen is at the heart of everything they do with the ball.”

His greatest sadness was for Lacey, who should have had his name in lights but instead was part of a team scuttling off the pitch to the sound of boos and harsher criticism.

“It’s a shame that Shea’s moment, such a great moment for him, for his family, his friends and the whole academy; to have an academy player come in and have a moment like that, gets a bit lost, unfortunately,” said Carrick.

“It won’t for him when things settle down but, as we sit here now, it feels that it was a long time ago.”

Carrick also addressed the JJ Gabriel situation.

“He’s a young boy, he’s 15, and for me, definitely, and from a club point of view, looking after our younger players, their welfare, their wellbeing, their exposure, we’ve got to be really conscious of that in this situation,” he explained.

But ultimately, for any manager, the assessment of their work comes through results.

“Being here toughens you up over a period of time,” he said. “It depends how you deal with it. You’ve got to deal with it in a way where you can cope with it and you can bring out the best in yourself. However you do that, with your motivation and the confidence deep within yourself to know we can win football matches.

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“We’ve gone out of the cup tonight, and the feeling around the place feels bigger than that. I’m honest enough to say that’s how it feels. But it doesn’t have to be like that. If we win football matches again, it can go in a different direction.”

Manchester United have one more game before the international break, at Fulham on Sunday.

For the general wellbeing of the club, Carrick’s team really need to win.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp said he wasn’t sure they will.

“Right now, they’re miles off it,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how good the manager is, if you don’t have the right players it makes it really difficult.

“There’s a reason why the other managers have struggled. Sooner or later the pressure’s always going to come on.

“This weekend becomes a huge game. He doesn’t need another poor result, otherwise all of a sudden you’re going into the international break and everyone’s talking about you. The winners tonight are the players who didn’t play.”

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