When Harry Maguire planted a firm header past Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier in the driving rain at Elland Road back in February, it marked a momentous occasion in Manchester United's season.
It was the first time that United had scored a Premier League goal via a corner all season, making them the last club in the division to find the net via that route. It had taken 139 attempts, but it set them on their way to record a famous double over their bitter rivals.
It also marked the first time since April 2021 that United had scored from a corner in the league. It was a record that attracted a wave of criticism - and deservedly so.
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After getting off the mark against Leeds, United scored a further two goals from corners before the curtain was brought down on a disastrous 2021/22 campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo completed his hat-trick against Tottenham Hotspur by heading home Alex Telles' inswinger, before Raphael Varane netted his only goal in red so far against Brentford, hooking home another Telles delivery.
United, with the quality at their disposal, will have been bitterly disappointed to have ended the campaign with just three league goals scored from corners. As for goals scored from set-pieces overall, United scored just seven times from dead-ball situations, with only relegated Watford (six) and Norwich City (three) producing lower tallies this term.
It is clear that United must significantly improve that area of their game this summer, as manager Erik ten Hag takes on the challenge of trying to put the club back on the road to success. Being dangerous from set-pieces can be a feather in any team's cap, just ask Liverpool and Manchester City. They scored 41 league goals between them from such scenarios this season.
United's struggles from set-plays, however, raise two different questions: Are the set-piece takers at fault? Or is it those who are expected to attack the deliveries like their lives depend on it? Considering United's senior centre-backs scored just two league goals between them this season, with Varane and Maguire each getting one, it would suggest that the Reds lack firepower from the back.
The primary responsibility of defenders is to defend, but there is also an onus on them to chip in with goals from the back. And that is where United transfer target Pau Torres could come in handy.
The Spaniard, who United considered as a back-up option last summer if their hopes of signing Varane had failed, stands at 6ft3, making him the same height as Varane and a fraction shorter than Maguire. He is a tall and imposing figure, giving himself an advantage when it comes to attacking corners and getting his head on the end of deliveries.
He scored six goals in all competitions this season, four of which came from corners. He netted two headers, while the other two came as a result of him finding space in the six-yard box to convert with his feet. He appears to have the knowhow for timing his runs perfectly to be in the right place at the right time to attack set-plays, and that is what United need, as highlighted by their struggles from set-pieces this season.
Torres' two other goals came as a result of him attacking free-kicks, with his instincts of being alive inside the six-yard box proving fruitful. He was on hand to turn home a scrappy finish in a 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid in January after a free-kick delivery was spilled and converted a free-kick delivery on the stretch at the back-post in a 5-1 demolition of Rayo Vallecano.
He is an imposing figure and has a record of being able to offer a goalscoring threat when coming up from the back. He has scored nine goals in the last two seasons - two more than Maguire and Varane have combined during that same period.
Torres would offer United a far greater threat from dead-ball situations, as they look to improve that area of their game under Ten Hag. His primary responsibility, if signed this summer, would be to improve United defensively, but his attacking contributions could add a whole new dimension to their outlook on set-pieces.
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