Harry Maguire was reduced to a watching brief on Sunday as Manchester United booked a place in the FA Cup final on June 3.
A cagey semi-final against an intelligent Brighton side at points resembled a chess match, with two tacticians in Erik ten Hag and Roberto De Zerbi constantly trying to get the better of one another. That all went out the window when 120 minutes were up, Victor Lindelof firing home the winning penalty after Solly March fired high and wide.
It was far from vintage for a United side who conceded possession and looked to pounce quickly when gaps opened up. But credit must be given for keeping at bay a Seagulls outfit who have averaged almost two goals a game in the league this season, particularly with the personnel at hand.
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Ten Hag's first-choice centre-back pairing were both absent, with Lisandro Martinez out for the season while Raphael Varane can only hope to be fit for the final against Manchester City. Maguire and Lindelof have been the natural cover but the former's booking in the quarter-final win over Fulham saw him suspended.
Maguire's absence meant Ten Hag was forced to field a brand new partnership, with Lindelof alongside the fit-again Luke Shaw. Naturally a left-back, the England international has slotted in alongside Varane on multiple occasions this season and looked assured in doing so. Alongside the Swede it was a similar picture.
Shaw and Lindelof satiate Ten Hag's most basic demand for a defensive partnership: a left-footer on the left and a right-footer on the right. But the pair are also able to step onto strikers in a way that causes Maguire problems, and both are more capable in playing out from the back.
It could now be argued that Maguire is Ten Hag's fifth-choice centre-back, with the defender surely considering a future away from Old Trafford. United are expected to offload at least four defenders this summer and the former Leicester City man is one of those provisionally put up for sale alongside Eric Bailly, Alex Telles and Brandon Williams.
He turned 30 last month and will need regular minutes if he is to secure a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the 2024 European Championships in Germany. But with so many options in front of him, those minutes aren't likely to come at United.
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