Erik ten Hag might already have come to accept that he won't be able to fix every element of this Manchester United side in one transfer window.
The club's latest manager has prioritised signings in midfield and attack and talks are taking place over an eye-catching deal for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
But United are juggling their resources this summer and one potential attacking target, in Darwin Nunez, is on the verge of signing for Liverpool.
READ MORE: United willing to walk away from De Jong transfer as alternatives considered
As the window progresses United might well turn their attentions to defence. There might be a need to reinforce at centre back if Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe depart, while Ten Hag has also told Aaron Wan-Bissaka he can leave the club.
That would leave a vacancy at right-back and it's at full-back where sticking plasters might be required next season, given the reality that time and budget restraints mean United won't be able to do everything they want in the window.
If Wan-Bissaka does depart that would leave Diogo Dalot as the only right-back in the squad and questions mark still surround the 23-year-old. Neither of United's options in this position have really convinced.
There are some possible alternatives should a fee for Wan-Bissaka be reinvested in the same position, however, and they could be players familiar to Ten Hag.
At the moment De Jong is the former Ajax player now at Barcelona being targeted by United, but USA international Sergino Dest is another player who could be allowed to leave the Nou Camp to help alleviate their financial woes. The 21-year-old played 38 games for Ajax under Ten Hag and has now featured 72 times for Barcelona.
He is an attack-minded right-back and would probably be considered a risky signing in the Premier League, but Ten Hag will know exactly what he can offer.
Denzel Dumfries is another attacking right-back who could be available for a cut-price fee this summer. Ten Hag would have come up against the former PSV Eindhoven player in the Eredivisie and he's had a good first season at Inter Milan, scoring five goals in 33 Serie A appearances.
The 26-year-old also has five goals in 34 caps for Holland and he's often thrived as a wing-back, rather than a conventional full-back, and again there could be question marks over his defending. Inter Milan are also trying to balance the books so could consider a sale.
The versatility of current Ajax defender Jurrien Timber could also make him an option for United during this window. The 20-year-old might be considered a long-term central defender, but he has played right-back and could offer a short-term fix in that role before graduating to the heart of defence.
In reality, none of those options is necessarily a perfect fix for United, but then this was never going to be a perfect window either.
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