"Ander Herrera, I wouldn't worry about. I wouldn't worry about him."
Paul Scholes, making his first punditry appearance since he walked away from his job as Oldham Athletic's manager last month, was typically blunt when discussing the future prospects of Manchester United's number 21 on the back of their win against West Ham.
Herrera is on the brink of leaving United, believed to have signed a pre-contract agreement with the French champions Paris Saint-Germain having grown frustrated with the pace of negotiations over a fresh contract at Old Trafford.
United will lose the Basque midfielder for nothing and that is criminal, especially in a market where a player of Herrera's quality would command a transfer fee of at least the £30million the Reds paid for him in 2014.
But, while United's failure to get a fee for Herrera smacks of incompetence from the club's negotiators, he will be no great loss to a team that is in dire need of an overhaul.
United have one world-class midfielder in their ranks and it is not Herrera, despite the high regard in which he is held by supporters.
"If you sell Pogba now, you're selling your best player." Scholes' tune was different when discussing Paul Pogba's future after the Frenchman's penalty double against Manuel Pellegrini's side.
Three Manchester United players to return vs FC Barcelona
Pogba has a tendency to frustrate but he is undoubtedly one of the few United players whose quality cannot be questioned.
He will be central to United's rebuiild and is indispensible. Herrera is not.
Take a quick glance at the squads of Europe's biggest clubs and you will see why. Barcelona have Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets, Juventus have Miralem Pjanic, PSG have Marco Verratti, Bayern Munich have Thiago Alcantara, Manchester City have David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, and Real Madrid, although they are enduring a poor season, have Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
All are superior operators to Herrera and it is that calibre of player that United should be targeting in the summer. Herrera is useful but he is technically deficient to the elite and his impending departure should not be viewed as a catastrophe.
United may not get a fee for Herrera but his departure will free up funds on the wage bill to hand to his replacement - a replacement that should not be a like-for-like one.
Michael Carrick's retirement in 2018 left United without a midfield metronome and it is he who Solskjaer should be looking to replace this summer.
Verratti was outstanding when PSG won at Old Trafford in February and he would be the perfect midfield signing for United. Whether he would be attainable or not is another matter but it is that profile of midfielder that Solskjaer should be targeting.
Manchester United fans disagree with what Marcus Rashford tweeted after West Ham win
