Manchester United were so obsessed with Real Madrid they ignored Atletico Madrid's three-point plan

In the first of a handful of interviews where Ed Woodward spoke on the record, he expressed his displeasure at Manchester United only having two nominations for the Ballon d'Or in 2013.

Woodward stressed United 'should be aspiring to have the best players playing for us. We’ve had that in the past.' For the next six years, if not all of his eight-and-a-half year tenure, Woodward conflated Ballon d'Or nominees with Gáláctico-style signings when the accolade's most frequent recipient, Lionel Messi, was developed by the Barcelona academy.

United have always been sticklers for individualistic signings. Until Jadon Sancho caught fire this month, there was a legitimate theory he and Jack Grealish should arrange a club swap. Bruno Fernandes is a singular playmaker who generated credible comparisons with Eric Cantona and United attempted to recreate his unique alchemy with Zlatan Ibrahimovic 24 years later. Cristiano Ronaldo's homecoming was more opportunistic than the late arrivals of Radamel Falcao and Edinson Cavani.

Real Madrid have been United's yardstick since Matt Busby's Babes ventured into Europe and their affinity was intensified with Sir Alex Ferguson, enlivened whenever he recalled watching Di Stefano and Puskas eviscerate Eintracht Frankfurt in the European Cup final at Hampden Park as an 18-year-old in 1960.

In aspiring to emulate Real, United have become a deluxe yo-yo club, dropping in and out of the Champions League and into the dreaded Europa League. United have competed in the Europa League four times in the last six years when they had participated in it twice in the 26 years prior to the first leg with Midtjylland in 2016.

It is across Madrid where United ought to have taken heed. Atletico have a coach