Despite all of the progress that Manchester United made in their first season under Erik ten Hag, the Dutchman was unable to get to the bottom of their away day struggles.
United won just one of their nine Premier League away games against top-half teams during the 2022/23 campaign, meaning they collected just four points from a possible 27. It was a torrid record and they were only saved from going winless against top-half teams on the road all season by some Alejandro Garnacho magic.
The youngster scored his first Premier League goal with 93 minutes on the clock to help United beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage in their final outing prior to the World Cup. Had he failed to have shown such composure, the Reds would have taken just two points from a possible 27 on the road against top-ten sides.
United were beaten up and spat back out again by the likes of Liverpool (7-0), Manchester City (6-3) and Brentford (4-0) on the road this season, being humiliated by each of them. They were also bullied by Newcastle United at St James' Park in April, even if the 2-0 scoreline did not look quite so horrifying at first glance.
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The fact of the matter is, though, United were not good enough on the road this season. However you might sugarcoat it or make excuses, Ten Hag's side were an easy target when facing the Premier League's big hitters, although it was a completely different story at Old Trafford.
United lost just one league game on their own patch in Ten Hag's first campaign in charge, being beaten 2-1 by Brighton & Hove Albion on the opening day of the season. Six days later, they were hammered by Brentford, leaving them bottom of the table after their first two matches.
Those defeats saw Ten Hag name just two summer signings in each of his starting line-ups, handing starting berths to both Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen. At that juncture, Tyrell Malacia was their only other summer acquisition and he started the third game of the season against Liverpool.
It was not until the latter stages of the window that United got their two most expensive signings of the summer over the line, bringing in Casemiro from Real Madrid and Antony from Ajax. Casemiro officially joined the Reds on August 22 and Antony completed his move to Old Trafford on transfer deadline day, which, last year, was September 1.
It meant that Ten Hag had not been able to fulfil two of his primary transfer missions until the first month of the season was either nearing the end or concluded. It left United playing catch-up and his late additions then needed time to settle into their new surroundings and adapt.
Considering the Reds face Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in each of their first two away games in the 2023/24 campaign, United, taking their vulnerability on the road into account, can ill-afford to be playing catch-up in the transfer market again. Ten Hag needs signings through the door as quickly as possible, with as much of his summer business as possible done by the time the Reds face Wolves in their season opener on August 14.
That, though, is easier said than done at the best of times, never mind when ongoing uncertainty surrounding a takeover is still ongoing in the background. It is almost seven months since the Glazers announced they were prepared to sell the club and the situation is still no closer to reaching a conclusion.
Whether they are to sell United to Sheikh Jassim or approve Sir Jim Ratcliffe's plan to secure a majority stake, they need to make their decision sooner rather than later, not least for the benefit of Ten Hag and his recruitment plans. United need to increase the level of overall quality within their squad this summer and that will require a budget that is not going to be used up just by the addition of a striker.
Money is understood to have been set aside for the striker that Ten Hag desperately craves, but what will be left to strengthen other major areas remains a mystery. The Dutchman wants a central midfielder as another main target and you cannot rule out the prospect of him wanting to bring in a goalkeeper, a right-back and a centre-back.
Though United need to sell to generate funds this summer, Ten Hag still needs a starting budget he can turn to with confidence. Whatever happens, though, he deserves clarity on the situation sooner rather than later. He deserves that and so do the fans.
United cannot be left playing catch-up again.
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