A tough week on the road for Manchester United and one in which the deficiencies of their squad was laid bare. An over-reliance on Marcus Rashford's goals, a lack of impact in attacking roles off the bench and the fatigue that seems inevitable in what will be a 62-game season culminated in consecutive 1-0 away defeats.
This campaign can still very easily be a major success - the Reds are in command of their own top-four destiny and have an FA Cup final to look forward to - but this recent bump has only highlighted the importance of investment in the entire squad, rather than just the starting line-up.
Erik ten Hag wants to improve his starting XI, ideally with a world-class goalscorer and a ball-playing midfielder - interest in Harry Kane and Frenkie de Jong give an idea of what profile the Dutchman demands. Improvement in central defence, at right-back and potentially in goal is also being explored.
