It speaks volumes about the mess Manchester United are in that a 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea, in which they were dominated throughout, is being paraded as some sort of minor success.
'An improvement' is how Nemanja Matic described the draw at full-time, while fellow veteran Juan Mata insisted 'everyone gave all they had' to secure an improbable point and slightly delay their inevitable failure to qualify for the Champions League.
Anyone watching the Old Trafford clash will have been abundantly aware of the gulf in quality between the two sides, none more so than at full-back, where Chelsea humiliated United with the quality they had on offer.
READ MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo responds to what Manchester United teammates did after Chelsea scored
Indeed, the Chelsea opener came from the left-boot of wingback Marcos Alonso, who was terrific throughout. But the real star of the show was Reece James, another tremendous talent who offers everything United lacks in the wide defensive areas.
James, 22, was awarded Man of the Match for his incredible display in which he ranked top for touches, touches in the opposition box, crosses, and tackles. He is far more than just a defender.
"What a player Reece James is," Roy Keane stated at full-time. "He looks like a boxer. His distribution, movement, strength. He seems like a nice kid too. He's a clever lad, could play him in any position. Chelsea are a lucky club to have him. Outstanding."
United's struggles this season haven't been helped when fierce rivals Man City and Liverpool have both been near-flawless, nor are they helped by the fact that Thomas Tuchel's side have impressed so much again and could yet win the FA Cup.
Though it is again at full-back where similar comparisons can be made, with City, Liverpool and Chelsea all possessing full-backs of a world-class nature, while United's player pool is one of mediocrity.
Ralf Rangnick has his hands tied somewhat at the moment with Luke Shaw out for the season, though his persistence with Alex Telles on the left is undermined by the promising potential of Alvaro Fernandez below him.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been an awful signing for United, despite a decent first season, and only three years after he arrived for £50million he is now being linked with a return to boyhood club Crystal Palace.
It's almost impossible to critique Wan-Bissaka without mentioning that United boasted they had scouted 804 full-backs before settling on him. That in itself highlights a huge issue at the club, and a lack of self-awareness for clearly wasting so many resources on a database so large they can never focus on those who really stand out from the crowd.
It was a similar case with the signing of Telles two years ago, when United claimed they had been scouting him since 2014. Though, it would be difficult to name a player who isn't on United's radar if they are looking at nearly a thousand players per position and still signing the most obvious one.
Diogo Dalot has shown glimpses of promise ever since he signed but still lacks the authority to be a starter in this United side. He should still have a decent career as a squad option, though he is quite clearly not of the standards currently required at the top end of the Premier League.
It's this lack of quality that could see Brandon Williams a beneficiary under Erik ten Hag this summer. He has done alright on loan at Norwich this season, away from the bubble of Old Trafford, and at least has the fight and desire to play for United, something few appear to have at the moment.
The draw with Chelsea only further highlighted United's need for full-back investment over the next transfer windows, but with the club's focus on signing at least one central midfielder, a younger forward and another centre-back, it is an area for improvement which might have to be delayed until next year.
Ultimately, that is the problem for United. Even in an ideal world, they will be unable to solve all the issues they need to this summer.
