Back in April 2019, Manchester United were humiliated 4-0 by Everton at Goodison Park as their hopes of securing a Champions League qualification spot suffered a significant setback. Fast-forward three years, and the Red Devils are enduring a frightening case of deja vu.
While Saturday's scoreline was far less shocking, the manner of the damaging 1-0 defeat to the Toffees evoked plenty of parallels and will provide plenty of cause for concern. The latest loss leaves United languishing down in seventh spot in the Premier League standings, six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham with a mere seven games to play.
Three years ago, United - then under the guidance of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - failed to achieve their aim of Champions League qualification with an April defeat at Goodison playing a part in that. Now, with Ralf Rangnick at the helm, it appears history will repeat itself.
Much like the performance against Everton back in 2019, United were out-fought and out-played by the Toffees on Saturday as they found themselves punished for their lacklustre showing. Gary Neville blasted his former side as "a joke" following the latest setback, but you could have been forgiven for thinking his comments from three years back were made in reference to this weekend's loss.
In April 2019, Neville slammed: "I'm furious, to be honest with you. I've often said about clubs in the last seven years, if you've got weeds in the garden then you've got to get rid of them.
"But there is some Japanese knotweed at that football club and it is attacking the foundations of the house and needs dealing with properly. That performance today was rancid."
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Following the latest loss to Everton, Neville's comments are ringing as true now as they were back then. United once again appeared disjointed on Saturday and find themselves in dire need of change - and a fair amount of garden maintenance - this summer.
While a new manager come the end of the season is a guarantee, there will surely need to be personnel tweaks, too. United's current crop lack cohesion and unity, and it'll surely take more than a new man at the helm to set the club back on the path to success which is so sought-after.
Neville's Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher called the April defeat in 2019 the worst he had witnessed from United in years, while Graeme Souness was equally as scathing.
The Scot bemoaned United's lack of effort and intensity, accusing them of "going through the motions" in what proved to be a costly defeat in a catastrophic 2018-19 campaign which saw Solskjaer's side finish sixth, five points behind Tottenham in fourth. Again, the comments are eerily apt.
That day, Souness declared: "That was a team in their armchairs - not a team trying to qualify for the Champions League. It was a team that was plodding, drifting, and going through the motions."
Little appears to have changed in three years. United still appear to have "weeds in the garden", they are still enduring a Goodison Park Groundhog Day and they are still faltering in their pursuit of a top-four finish.
The latest defeat points to a striking lack of progress in recent years and emphasises the extent of United's plight. Saturday was a striking case of history repeat itself, and with regards to their hopes of securing Champions League football, United won't like what comes next.
