It is just three weeks until the new Premier League season starts.
Manchester United will begin the campaign in 21 days when they welcome Crystal Palace to Old Trafford, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still has a lot of work to do.
United's qualification for the Champions League was supposed to herald a new beginning as Solskjaer continued his cultural rebuild with further squad reinforcements, but almost four weeks since the transfer window opened there are still no fresh additions.
Chelsea's double deal to sign both Malang Sarr and Thiago Silva has only ramped up the pressure on United to kick start their own summer business, but there are other growing issues which much be resolved if they are to begin their season on the front foot.
First up is obviously the issue of transfers. United maintained all along that this summer window would not be 'business as usual', but the activity from rival Premier League clubs is wearing patience thin as fans await news of arrivals.
United might well have been the third-best side in English football last season, but the margin of victory over Chelsea in the end proved very little, with both teams trophyless and finishing the campaign on the same amount of points. Frank Lampard has wasted no time in strengthening his squad, and while it remains to be seen how successful those moves are, there are at least clear intentions to improve on the efforts of last season.
Throughout the Jadon Sancho transfer saga United have been keen to reiterate the fact the summer transfer window will remain open until early October, but the window has been open for over a month and the club remain no nearer to adding their first signing, never mind their second or third. There will be no sympathy if they start the season poorly having failed to strengthen in the summer.
If the issue of adding new players wasn't hard enough there is also the added dilemma of resolving United's captaincy conundrum. Harry Maguire insists he is fully focused on the season with both club and country following a turbulent week after an incident in Greece.
MEN Sport understands there is no immediate decision planned by United to strip Maguire of the captaincy, nor will any 'emergency' meeting take place in the coming days. However, the real decision will come once the 27-year-old has taken to the pitch, and all eyes will be on him for that opening match.
If the England international's form is unaffected then there are no worries about his role as captain, but the calls for Bruno Fernandes to be named skipper will only grow if the current incumbent struggles under the pressure.
Solskjaer's final problem lies with his squad selection, and his calls on the opening day of the season could set a precedent for the rest of the campaign. In goal there is a huge decision to make between David de Gea and Dean Henderson with neither goalkeeper planning to occupy the back-up role next season.
Similarly there are issues in midfield with Solskjaer likely to have his full strength squad at his disposal. Nemanja Matic started in a trio along with Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes for much of United's season post-lockdown, but there remains a dilemma over how both Fred and Scott McTominay are utilised.
With a fully fit squad Solskjaer will need to pick his strongest side for the first day of the season, and barring any injuries, we will likely get an idea of the starting XI which the manager trusts the most.
New signings would do a lot to appease growing fan frustrations, but if they can't be arranged in the next three weeks then Solskjaer needs to make sure the rest of his plan is flawless for Palace's visit.
