Manchester United haven't got the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo since he returned to Old Trafford in August, but the lack of an academy presence around the Portugal star could be holding him back.
That's according to former Chelsea and France centre-back Frank Leboeuf, who has noted the differences between United's squad now and the one which allowed Ronaldo to grow as a player in his first spell with the club.
Ronaldo has scored 15 goals in all competitions this season, more than any other United player but less than half the tally he managed in his last two seasons with Juventus.
However, with the likes of Anthony Elanga making a mark on the first team after coming through the ranks as a youngster, Ronaldo could soon have what he needs to thrive.
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Elanga scored arguably his biggest goal to date last month, netting against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, and he is one of a handful of academy graduates getting minutes this term.
Jesse Lingard made a rare start in the recent league win at Leeds United, while Paul Pogba - who returned to United in 2016 after beginning his career with the club - recently returned to action after a spell on the sidelines.
It's still nothing compared to Ronaldo's first spell at the club, however, when the likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and the Neville brothers were all at Old Trafford to help him find his feet.
"The Busby Babes were all kids from the club. The famous Treble winning team from the 90s were all at the academy, and when it didn’t work at the club, Ferguson put the Nevilles, Beckham, Scholes and Butt in the team, all fantastic players who became very famous and won everything.," Leboeuf told BritishGambler.co.uk.
"But now it’s about who you play, what kind of names they buy and spend crazy money on, whereas the essence of the club is actually from within, from the academy.
"Elanga may not be from England, but has come through the academy and has shown his talent – that’s what United have to look for, and what they need to find to get Manchester United back to its prime.
" Arsenal have that now, and that’s why I think they’ll finish fourth ahead of Manchester United."
Arsenal have a strong academy presence in their first team this season, with Emile Smith Rowe top-scoring for the Gunners and Bukayo Saka also playing an important role for Mikel Arteta's side.
They're the closest challengers to fourth-place United, sitting two points behind Ralf Rangnick's men but holding three games in hand, and Leboeuf suggests United could benefit from a return to the attitude which had them fighting for trophies on multiple fronts.
"The future is in the academy. It has always been like that," the Frenchman said.
"Even if they have big stars, they have to be surrounded by the people who grew up at the club. Ronaldo was at the club before, but he was with players that grew up at the club like Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, the Nevilles – people who understood the meaning of growing up at Manchester United.
"But now, I don’t think there are other players at the club who have that."
