It is only a matter of weeks until the summer transfer window opens, and for Manchester United the requirements couldn't be simpler.
Europa League football is looming and United need a massive restructure if they are to battle for a top-four finish, never mind to be in serious contention for a title challenge.
Yet restoring their pride and success goes far beyond simply signing exciting talent, and the real issue is establishing a long-term plan which will form the springboard as United aim to return back to the top of English football.
It is a concern which has already haunted the club once before, just look at what has happened with Daley Blind.
Five years ago United pleased supporters when they announced a deal to sign the then Dutch Footballer of the Year from Ajax. On paper he was the perfect signing.
In Blind, United had a proven international talent, someone who filled the criteria of a being top ball-playing defender and was sure to be a success under the guidance of Louis van Gaal.
Yet his legacy at Old Trafford is far from the glorious trophy laden spell which many supporters had hoped for, and many supporters might be surprised to see just well he is doing back in the Netherlands.
The 29-year-old is back enjoying his football at Ajax, but his success is not only down to his superb ability, but down to the fact he is playing for a club whose entire footballing philosophy is catered towards extracting his optimal performances.
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In contrast it is still hard to tell what the 'United way' is. For all of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's cheap rhetoric this is a club who are experiencing an identity crisis, and who have failed to establish a long-term plan for over a decade.
Too often the club have looked to paper over the cracks and make short-term snap decisions aimed at pushing back their issues rather than confronting them head on.
Ajax's reputation has not been as high since the glory days of Johan Cyruff, but there is a real lesson to be learnt from their return to the top table of European football.
This is a side who are without a Dutch league title in the last five years, but one which could now secure an improbable Eredivisie and Champions League double as reward for a long planned rebuild which is finally baring its ripest fruit.
Ajax have a style of play which is implemented throughout their youth teams, their star players are methodically scouted across Europe before being embedded into a team rife with homegrown talent from their illustrious academy system. United can't replicate this like for like, but they can certainly learn a few valuable lessons.
Five years on from Blind's move to England and many of the same supporters who took to social media dreaming of his arrival are now fantasising of Kalidou Koulibaly and Matthijs de Ligt instead.
The trouble is there is no guaranteed formula to success in the transfer market. Each deal comes with an element of risk, and the most successful deals are just those which reduce the amount of variables involved.
United's biggest concern this summer will not about securing the top talent, but will be about how they orchestrate a serious long-term plan which will bring out the best of their own exciting talent.
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