Manchester United infamously scouted 804 right-backs before they settled on Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the summer transfer window three years ago. It begs the question, where did Tariq Lamptey rank below him?
Even at the time, Crystal Palace starlet Wan-Bissaka didn't see the obvious choice. He was, and still is, one of the best defensive full-backs in European football, but United's own metrics seem to be out-dated in that they weren't identifying a player who fits the modern mould.
Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea all deploy full-backs who supplement their own attacking threats. All three are a gulf above this United side, in part because they all adopted a trend that has become more prominent in elite football over the past decade.
