Facundo Pellistri has given Man United the exact same problem they have with Alejandro Garnacho

Manchester United would give everything to be firing on one cylinder right now, let alone all of them.

An underwhelming and, quite frankly, alarming start to the season continued on Saturday afternoon, when United were defeated by Crystal Palace just a few days after sweeping aside the same opponents in their Carabao Cup tie at the same venue. But that energetic display proved to be the latest false dawn.

Midweek goals from Alejandro Garnacho, Casemiro and Anthony Martial revived hope at Old Trafford and beyond, but Palace defender Joachim Andersen immediately dampened the mood, yet again, when settling the scores with United consigned to their fourth defeat in the Premier League already this campaign.

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United have at least some mitigation for this slide, such as ongoing injury problems. However, that does not make things easier to stomach, nor does it serve as an all-encompassing reason for concerns that have blighted manager Erik ten Hag and his misfiring squad - and continue to do so.

Selection decisions have played their part. Several key players have, also, underperformed.

With that comes in-house accountability - which United looked to have started to address on Tuesday night - but Ten Hag must go back to the drawing board. However, there are limited options the manager can, wholeheartedly, trust to perform at such an important juncture in the campaign already.

In among the doom and gloom, there have been welcome nods to the future for United and dedicated supporters. Early-season starts for Hannibal Mejbri, Facundo Pellistri and Garnacho were always going to be well received,