Of the 15 Manchester United players that travelled to Qatar for the World Cup, just two of them remain.
England's heartbreaking quarter-final exit at the hands of France on Saturday evening meant that Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford joined the likes of Tyrell Malacia and Antony in packing their bags ready for home. Harry Kane, after earlier scoring from the spot, missed a penalty with just six minutes of normal time left on the clock to make it 2-2 and almost certainly send the contest to extra time.
But as has so often been the case for England at major tournaments, albeit not in a shoot-out on this occasion, it was a lack of composure from 12 yards that brought another dream to an end. The Three Lions, however, will return home with their heads held high; they pushed France every step of the way and would have come out on top on another day.
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England's agony compounded what, in truth, was a bad day for United at the World Cup. Just under two hours before kick-off at the Al Bayt Stadium, fellow Reds stars Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes also saw their dreams of competing in next Sunday's final brought to a shock end by surprise package Morocco.
It means that, ahead of the semi-finals this coming Tuesday and Wednesday, Argentina's Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane of France are the only two United players left at the tournament. It is, too, entirely possible that they could both face-off in the final, given Argentina and France are the favourites ahead of their respective semi-final showdowns with Croatia and Morocco.
Martinez and Varane have been the bedrock of United's progress under Erik ten Hag so far this season, each producing a series of excellent performances. The former has silenced countless critics following his big-money move from Ajax, while Varane, though he missed six matches through injury in the build-up to the start of the World Cup, has proven why United were so intent on signing him from Real Madrid in August 2021.
But while Varane and Martinez have formed a strong and stable partnership in the heart of the defence, it is in midfield where you could argue that the biggest improvement has been made so far this season. United's midfield woes were so blindingly obvious last season that you did not even need to watch the Reds on a regular basis to know how much work needed to be done on that area of the team during the summer.
United, of course, significantly strengthened their central-midfield options through the signings of Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, both of whom have been superb since arriving in M16. Working alongside Fernandes in the engine room, they have settled in seamlessly, allowing Ten Hag to quickly solve the Reds' troubles in the centre of the pitch. They have formed a midfield that offers a blend of defensive nous, robustness, control and creativity. It is, in my ways, absolutely perfect.
That is why, ahead of the Premier League campaign resuming in just over a fortnight's time, United could be helped by the fact, as disappointing and as heartbreaking as it is for the trio, that Denmark, Brazil and Portugal have not gone all the way in Qatar. Denmark failed to make it out of the group stages whereas Brazil and Portugal crashed out at the quarter-finals, each losing ties they were expected to win.
Their failure to make it to the last week in Qatar means that they will each earn something of a well-deserved rest ahead of United resuming their league campaign against Nottingham Forest on December 27. The clash with Forest will mark the beginning of a mammoth period, with league fixtures, an FA Cup clash with Everton and two Europa League clashes with Barcelona to come, plus the prospect of further Carabao Cup fixtures, should they get the better of Burnley a few days before Christmas.
Eriksen and Fernandes, ahead of the World Cup, had each played in 20 of United's 21 games in all competitions this season, highlighting how much football they have already played this season. Casemiro, too, has featured in every game since arriving at Old Trafford in August, either from the start or via the bench.
After such a relentless period, for both club and country, the trio will all benefit from a short break to recharge the batteries ahead of the Premier League restart and another hectic period. In many ways, their World Cup agony could play into United's hands.
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