“I’m not confident that we’ll solve all the problems in the first transfer window,” Sir Jim Ratcliffe said. He was right. Manchester United have a potentially dynamic duo in Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte but a pedestrian pairing of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen as cover.
Their substitute wingers against Liverpool could be Marcus Rashford and Antony, symbols of extravagant expenditure. United still have a goalscoring problem and their only attacking addition this summer was a substitute striker with a release clause.
Joshua Zirkzee has billed himself as a "nine-and-a-half" when United need a true nine. Much is the same as last season. No fit specialist left back, a lack of goals, a barren midfield and an added-time defeat.
Ratcliffe admitted in June he had encountered "lots of bad surprises" at United but "I see the problem as an opportunity". READ MORE: One of United's worst contract renewals is set to cost them another £6m READ MORE: United are raising the standards by selling the right players United were never going to rebuild their squad in a single summer and past relics still linger.