In trying to fix the minefield that has been Manchester United's midfield this season there has been an endless combination of systems and players and a growing weariness that this is an issue that can only be fixed through cash.
As the campaign has gone on the decision not to sign a central midfielder last summer has looked more and more costly, but through all of the tinkering, there has been a reluctance to try Scott McTominay in a holding midfield role.
The academy graduate is never deployed without a midfield chaperone alongside him. That can give him licence to get forward and he can score goals, but he also has the attributes to become a defensive midfielder and that is where the gap is for United at the moment.
