Manchester United have been told they won't compete for the Premier League title because they have nobody to match N'Golo Kante or Jordan Henderson in midfield.
Having finished as runners-up to Manchester City last season, figures responsible for transfers at Old Trafford issued a triple statement of intent this summer window.
A move four years in the making, England forward Jadon Sancho is finally a United player after Borussia Dortmund agreed to sanction his £72.9million return to the UK, while he was followed through those doors by Raphael Varane and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
Spending the majority of their budget on those three players, the Premier League giants were unable to sign a top level defensive midfielder.
Instead, that position has been identified as a priority for 12 months from now - with Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips among those to be heavily linked.
However, the decision to hold off on that move has cost them dearly this season, according to former Chelsea man and talkSPORT pundit Tony Cascarino. Speaking to that station, he said: "I don't think Manchester United have a ball-winning midfielder of the talent that Chelsea, say, have with [N'Golo] Kante.
"[Jordan] Henderson at Liverpool, we would've gone Fernandinho at Manchester City.
"We see all these types of players. I don't think Manchester United have got that quality of midfielder that wins the ball back, keeps it and moves the ball forward.
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"There is a reason why you concede from set-pieces, because you're losing the ball at your top end of the pitch.
"Obviously, teams are getting into you, they are getting right up against you, pressing you. You end up committing fouls, or giving away corners - and then you might concede goals.
"It's a knock-on effect. With the way that Leicester play, United could not win the ball."
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