Making mistakes in the transfer market in football is inevitable but some are so unavoidable that they are unforgivable.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked last month and his delayed dismissal stunk of incompetence from the club's hierarchy. Solskjaer's reckoning was the Liverpool debacle - there was no coming back from that - yet those in power failed to put him out of his misery.
That was poor decision making from the Bristol University graduates that control United and It would take humiliation against Watford for Ed Woodward to finally pull the trigger, however, Solskjaer was also guilty of indecisiveness himself across his tenure. Incompetent decision-making currently seems to be a disease that can be found deep in the club's veins. There is no escaping it at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer's decisions sometimes appeared to be based on emotion, but sentimentality in sport makes you weak. His previous affiliation with the club was his greatest strength yet sometimes it was his biggest weakness. It's almost impossible to be ruthlessly objective when returning to pre-existing relationships and this is an area in which Solskjaer struggled in, particularly with Jesse Lingard.
Solskjaer knew Lingard when he was rising through United's academy and he handed him his debut in the reserves. Years later, the playmaker would score a brace in Solskjaer's first game as interim manager, when United beat Cardiff 5-1 in December 2018.
The pair initially rekindled their relationship but it would soon deteriorate when Solskjaer began to use Lingard sporadically. He was gradually frozen out and his winning goal in the 2016 FA Cup final seemed a lifetime ago - it was sobering for the player.
Lingard needed a revival and the opportunity to join West Ham on loan last January seemed a suitable move. It would turn out to be a sensational move instead. Lingard single-handedly galvanised David Moyes' side towards European football as the exertions of their busy season began to catch up and he scored nine goals and made three assists across the first nine games after his switch.
The 29-year-old was the world's most in-form player at that time and reports linking him with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-German and Inter Milan emerged. West Ham also wanted to sign him permanently in the summer, but Lingard was happy to return to United.
Lingard wanted to fight for his place and Solskjaer gave him assurances that he couldn't keep. Lingard didn't start in one Premier League game under Solskjaer this season despite scoring against Newcastle and West Ham from off the bench.
The goal against the latter was the matchwinner - along with David de Gea's penalty heroics, it won United the three points - and Lingard also provided Cristiano Ronaldo with an innovative assist for the matchwinning goal in stoppage time versus Villarreal.
Lingard was holding up his end of the bargain with his performances and Solskjaer wasn't with his selections. If Solskjaer wasn't going to use Lingard, then why didn't he sell him when his stock was highest, after his loan move to West Ham this summer?
It was an incompetent decision that is set to cost United in excess of £20m with Lingard now in the final year of his contract.
The Manchester Evening News understands United aren't expecting Lingard to leave in January and that makes it likely that he will leave the club for free at the end of the season. That will be nobody but Solskjaer's fault for appearing to mislead Lingard.
Should United sell Lingard in January? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Ralf Rangnick is meticulous in his approach to management and he'll also be completely objective when making decisions across his time at United. If he was in charge in the summer, United would have banked around £20m for Lingard and that transfer fee could have been used to strengthen in January. Incomings at the club in the winter window will need to be facilitated by outgoings.
Lingard could play a role under Rangnick for the remainder of the season, however, if West Ham or any other club want to table a bid for the academy graduate then the German should accept and do something Solskjaer should have done six months ago.
While Lingard has been a respectable servant for United, Rangnck will know it makes sense to cash in on the player.
Solskjaer just wasn't ruthless enough to sell Lingard and that incompetent decision making seems set to cost the club millions.
