It looked like a dream scenario for Jadon Sancho heading into the weekend, but it quickly became somewhat of a nightmare after another underwhelming performance.
Erik ten Hag had looked to freshen up his Manchester United side for the visit of bottom-placed Southampton, with an emphasis on his side's attacking threat against a team with a knack for conceding goals.
The industrious Fred was dropped in favour of Sancho as part of a tactical rethink, and from the off, it looked like United were not only setting up to win but to do so in style.
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But instead of posing a greater threat in front of goal, it ended up making United even blunter as their makeshift midfield struggled to control the game and carve out many meaningful opportunities.
Sancho was by no means the only player who failed to live up to the billing, though rather than take his golden opportunity to impress, he wasted it. The issue for him is that his best position appears to be on the bench right now, with his performances far superior when he is introduced into matches compared to when he has started.
The 22-year-old has the versatility to play anywhere across the front line, and while that makes him a valuable asset to the squad, it also presents the problem that he has not nailed down a regular role since his return. Sancho was signed as United's long-term solution to their right-wing problems but has played his best football on the left and started most recently through the middle.
He's going through an identity crisis right now, and while he has plenty of time on his side, it seems critical that he start playing regularly in one position to help improve his rhythm and momentum.
The crucial next step for Sancho will be determining which position he should play in the future, and Ten Hag will have another chance to experiment with him this midweek.
His decision to start the former Dortmund man in the central attacking midfield role against Southampton backfired on a day in which most players underperformed, though that does not mean the experiment should be completely abandoned. Sancho still created one of the best chances of the match playing through the middle and should have had an assist when his brilliant through-ball found Marcus Rashford, who failed to beat Gavin Bazunu.
Had that resulted in a goal then the narrative around Sancho's performance would likely have changed, though what was clear was that he struggled to adapt to the responsibility of his new position and was often guilty of drifting back out to the right wing. He was near enough man-marking Antony at some points during the first half as United struggled to adapt to their attacking set-up and became congested in their build-up play.
He wasn't helped by Casemiro's red card, which left United lacking in midfield and necessitated more defensive dirty work from the forwards rather than the attacking freedom they crave.
Sancho deserves some leeway because it is a role he has rarely played since joining United, and he may simply need time to adjust, but given that he played in a similar central berth during his Dortmund days, that isn't such an obvious answer.
A key difference is that there is a far greater intensity to the Premier League, meaning that while Sancho possesses the technical ability to shine in the advanced playmaker role, he does not always have enough time on the ball to influence a match.
It means that Sancho could still be better suited to a wide role where he has more space to run into, though it is unclear which side that would be given the competition he faces.
United are still suffering from the lack of a standout option on the right wing, but Ten Hag has put his trust in Antony to come good there as he continues to adapt to English football.
The obvious answer would be to stick Sancho on the left, but there is no way he should be starting there ahead of Marcus Rashford at the moment, while youngster Alejandro Garnacho has also played his best football there as well.
It brings us full circle to the prospect of utilising him in the central role again, and there is still a compelling argument for him to be nurtured as the understudy for Bruno Fernandes, even if he has struggled to impress there yet.
United have another chance to rotate when they travel to face Real Betis in the second leg of their Europa League knockout tie this week, and it could well be Sancho who benefits the most.
Garnacho could miss the match through injury, and Rashford could be one of those rested. It opens up the ideal chance to build his confidence on the left again, though given that he doesn't appear to have a long-term future in that role, there is more reason to try him elsewhere in attack.
Ten Hag has a lot of options; the challenge now is to find out which are his best.
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