There can be no ignoring the injury blow which Manchester United have been dealt ahead of facing Man City in the Premier League this weekend.
Confirmation from the club that star defender Raphael Varane will be sidelined for roughly a month having only just returned from injury is a bitter loss for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he prepares for a match which could well decide his immediate future at the club.
Questions will be asked of the Norwegian for the manner in which he potentially rushed a player back from injury only for them to suffer a setback, though it is understandable why he would have been desperate to get Varane back involved as soon as possible.
In the few months he has been at the club the former Real Madrid defender has already established himself as the standout centre-back at Old Trafford, with a calming presence which is perfectly mirrored by a dogged desire to guard the net like his life depends on it.
There is fair argument Varane was the most important of the three marquee summer arrivals at United given his standout qualities in defence remain unmatched. Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo is still world-class up front but there is less of a drop off in standards when he's not available compared to those in reserve at centre-back.
Yet while the Frenchman's absence this weekend is very much a loss for United it could offer a rare opportunity for Alex Telles to get a glimpse of first-team action in the wing back role he made his own at FC Porto.
Telles, 28, has partly struggled at United because he was signed on the back of his buccaneering attacking displays for the Portuguese side but then asked to do a more defensive job at his new club, it's always seemed like a bit of an awkward fit.
Though just because the Brazilian hasn't quite fit in with the system it doesn't mean he has no use to the current side, something which could be demonstrated this weekend if given the chance to play with more freedom in a wing back role on the left.
Injury to Varane means it is highly likely United will once again adopt a back three this weekend given Maguire's struggles as part of a two alongside either Eric Bailly or Victor Lindelof, with Luke Shaw a candidate to adopt his auxiliary role as a centre-back amid his own recent drop of form.
Even without a formation switch there is fair reason to replace Shaw with Telles given his recent drop off in form, though against arguably the best attack in the Premier League Solskjaer will likely stick with the England international to ensure his side aren't humbled by another five-goal haul at home to fierce rivals.
As such United's best hope might well be in dropping Shaw back into a central defensive role, with him and Bailly flanking club captain Maguire and Telles unleashed in his favoured role on the left wing.
With only 26 appearances in his 13 months at the club it might be time for Telles to get another chance to prove just how much he can be worth to this United side with a starring role against City.
Right now his £15million transfer fee still looks hard to justify but if he can help give United bragging rights this weekend then it might become priceless to both the club and the manager.
