Change is on the horizon at Old Trafford and events that have unfolded over the Premier League resumption have underlined that desperation. Necessity is the mother of invention. Manchester United have plenty of necessity and, yet, we have seldom seen invention.
It was supposed to be so different but, five months and two managers later, United are gearing up for the summer ready to encounter the same five problems that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needed to solve. He was unable to, though, and his successor will have to do so with potentially far less scope.
Before moving on, it has to be said that is not all down to Solskjaer. Far from it.
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He was not the cause of those five issues, as such, but despite his attempts to fix three of them, the next manager to step into the dugout might as well be Bill Murray acting out scenes from Groundhog Day. For more than 20 years in the Premier League, that used to be a good thing.
A dismal draw at home to Leicester means the odds are stacked against United for Champions League qualification. With that setback comes a perfect chance to reset.
Despite bizarre calls to the contrary, Cristiano Ronaldo has not been a problem for United this season. However, he might ultimately cause one should he leave for a second time this summer. At this stage, of course, his possible departure is pure speculation, but he still warrants a place at the top table.
Either way, United are searching for another option in attacking quarters. Edinson Cavani has one foot out the door and, in that sense, there is more than a whiff of deja vu when it comes to market planning.
Beyond that, Atletico Madrid played hardball with Kieran Trippier and Newcastle eventually took full advantage. It leaves a gaping hole at right-back, unless Diogo Dalot kicks on, while question marks over Harry Maguire suggest a follow-up move for Raphael Varane would not be completely surprising.
Bought to solve one problem position on the right-hand side, Jadon Sancho looks more at home on the left - as do Anthony Elanga and Marcus Rashford for that matter - while Jesse Lingard entering the final months of his contract and other circumstances mean United are, once again, short on the right flank.
Then comes the elephant in the room. Or should that be engine room?
A swoop in central midfield was pursued by Solskjaer and the ever-popular Norwegian did not get his wish. It was thought to be a real bugbear for the former manager and, whether they appoint Erik ten Hag or another candidate, you would be well-served to expect that to be followed by a marquee recruit in that position.
Naturally, that would be a good place to start. Clamouring for Declan Rice took a further hit over the course of this matchday but, in any case, £150m or a top-four finish might not have been the only stumbling blocks.
Solskjaer pressed for a holding midfielder but did not get his wish. Put simply, meanwhile, United were erroneous in not revisiting their interest in Trippier.
Continued issues at centre-back were not caused by Solskjaer, either, while mitigating circumstances mean Sancho has addressed a problem, only not the one he was brought in to solve. Finally comes the Ronaldo issue - in that him leaving would exacerbate things further.
No Champions League will mean further complications when trying to paper over the same cracks. But the concern is, ultimately, a need to address them in the first place before moving to other issues.
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