Ralf Rangnick has made an important change to Manchester United squad

There is a lot of time for reflection in the weeks ahead. Manchester United have five days off before the start of the international break and then the best part of a fortnight before they return to action again.

Elimination from the Champions League this week took away any chance of this season being remotely linked with success, and instead United's hopes rely on a top-four finish when they should have been aiming for the Premier League title.

The manner of United's defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday once again highlighted the mentality issue within the star-studded squad as Ralf Rangnick's side failed to deal with the dark arts cast against them, which prevented their only chance of success from moments of magic.

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In the long run, such a reality check could provide United with the kick up the backside required to finally get their act together, though we've been here before. Once again, the club approaches a 'defining' summer, and once again they could end up going around in circles when it looks like they have turned a corner.

In the grand scheme of things, the loss to Atletico was just another dismal defeat in a long list of failures over the last few years, though this one did at least upset the squad hierarchy and bring into question the status of many senior stars.

For many years, there has been a sense of stagnation at United and the club has been held back because far too many people, both on and off the pitch, are comfortable in their roles. It's led to plenty of complacency and a drop in standards, which had often been covered up by a freak run of results or incredible solo performance to paper over the cracks.