Ahead of kick-off at Brentford on Saturday, not many fans would have been able to foresee the capitulation that was to come. One or two eyebrows could have been raised by the decision to play Christian Eriksen in a deeper midfield role, especially after he had been played as a false nine a week prior.
This experiment, like the one on the opening weekend, failed miserably. By half time the questions over the team selection were in full flow.
A 4-0 loss to a team that were only promoted to the Premier League last season is yet a new low in a post-Ferguson era which has been littered with them.
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Erik ten Hag's arrival this summer was meant to herald a new dawn for United with the old guard departing and new, hungrier faces arriving. Yet, only three players to date have walked through the doors at Old Trafford this summer and just the one has been added.
His hands could well have been tied by the ownership in the transfer market but the decision to stick with the tried and failed formula which has haunted Reds fans for so long is baffling. Post-match, Tyrell Malacia summed up the situation perfectly.
Speaking to Viaplay when asked why he was on the bench, he answered: "You have to ask the trainer about that. It’s something between me and the trainer, we discuss that together.
"I’m fit. I don’t come here to sit on the bench.
"I always want to play, of course. When my time comes, I will definitely be there."
His response exuded bafflement. Not one player was able to shy away from the criticism following the capitulation in West London but so many familiar names have managed to let the club down time and time again.
During United's extra training session on Sunday you have to think that Malacia was making the point that he should start over Luke Shaw. For all of his stellar performances in an England shirt, Shaw has struggled to find that level for his domestic side.
Perhaps starting Malacia over Shaw would allow both men to flourish. The 27-year-old would benefit from time away from the intense spotlight and his Dutch teammate could do with a proper run-out.
Of course, Malacia is not the only player who will be questioning why he hasn't been given the opportunity to perform. Alejandro Garnacho, James Garner and Donny van de Beek all spring to mind as being in the same boat.
Malacia's comments though have highlighted a broader point, why do so many managers at Old Trafford trust the same crop of players that have failed their counterparts? Is it a Glazer problem due to their lack of direction, which many suggest is the case, or do the managers see something in training that we don't - perhaps it is a mixture of the two?
It is often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different outcomes. If we do not see wholesale changes for the visit of Liverpool, Ten Hag may have reached that threshold.
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