Manchester United have a new manager at the helm - but the same problems persist.
The Red Devils put in a miserable performance in their 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Monday evening and their central midfield again came under the spotlight.
Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic both struggled to match Portuguese pairing Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves as the visitors fully deserved their victory.
United are heading into the January transfer window with a central midfielder believed to be their top priority.
But they may have already missed the golden opportunity to add the perfect piece to the puzzle.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Manchester United have tried to sign Thiago Alcantara? Discuss in the comments section here.
In the summer of 2020, it became clear that Thiago Alcantara was on the move from Bayern Munich and available for a relatively cut-price fee in search of a new challenge.
Liverpool eventually made their move, but Manchester United legend Gary Neville was left baffled as to why his former club weren’t putting themselves in the mix.
He pointed out that, despite having Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes in advanced positions, he was confident Thiago could drop deep and succeed in a two-man midfield.
"United weren’t really strongly linked with him and I can see why with Pogba and Fernandes," Neville told 90min. "But watching him play in a two-man midfield for Bayern Munich I don’t think he needs to play in a forward role.
"I think he can play deeper and United’s players in that position – Fred, [Scott] McTominay, [Nemanja] Matic – have all done okay.
"But if [Thiago] was there... I think he’s clever enough to intercept, read the game and do the things that a holding midfielder can.
"You don’t need to be six feet tall, tackle and quick to play in that position anymore. You just need to be intelligent and understand the game, and he’s got that in abundance.”
Fast forward 18 months, and it is easy to conclude that Neville’s confusion over United's lack of interest was justified.
After a slow start to life in England, Thiago has come into his own and formed a strong partnership with Fabinho in the Liverpool midfield in a deeper role.
United, on the other hand, saw McTominay and Matic struggle badly to keep position, intercept and break up play against Wolves at Old Trafford.
Whilst the likes of Declan Rice and Amadou Haidara are being linked with a January move to Manchester United, they may well be ruing the fact they did not pursue a move for Thiago when they had the chance.
