In a dream world, Manchester United would sign two midfielders this summer. Erik ten Hag enjoyed a positive and promising first season in charge at Old Trafford as he ended the trophy drought, secured Champions League football and, perhaps most importantly, ended a growing apathy in the fanbase.
But it was far from smooth sailing. United suffered humiliating batterings at the hands of fierce rivals, were dumped out of the Europa League in a tie they should have won and were unable to prevent Manchester City from matching their treble triumph of 1999.
There were problems up front with a costly lack of goals. There were problems between the sticks with David de Gea's old frailties striking with a vengeance.
And there were problems in midfield. The dynamic duo of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen worked a treat and were the driving force behind the side's improvement after a poor start.