Louis van Gaal's side slumped to a disappointing draw
with Newcastle at Old Trafford as the club's failings in the transfer
market were brought into sharp focus
Games against Tottenham and Aston Villa yielded the maximum on offer but those six points masked something problematic. They were gained with only three shots on target across the two games as Van Gaal wrestled with the attacking conundrum presented to him.
Memphis, a Champions League star in midweek, is not yet in his domestic stride. Wayne Rooney appeared jaded, frustrated and incapable. The support cast can weave pretty patterns for sure but neither Adnan Januzaj nor Juan Mata is renowned for his ability to find the net week after week.
So it was that Van Gaal sent on Javier Hernandez and Antonio Valencia.
Two seasons' worth of clear outs and United are back to Chicharito and Valencia. The Mexican could be described as unlucky for seeing his late attempt at a winner denied by a truly world-class Tim Krul save while Chris Smalling hit the post with a towering header in injury time but even another 1-0 win would not obscure United's failings at the sharp end.
Had Ed Woodward and Van Gaal been more willing to part with whatever 'variables' Barcelona were seeking for Pedro Rodriguez's signature then the picture here could have been quite different.
"I have always explained and I shall not explain for the second time," Van Gaal told BT Sport of Pedro slipping through his fingers.
Would Valencia have been sent on to trundle down the line from right-back or would Pedro, who loves a late winner as proven against Sevilla recently in the Uefa Super Cup, have been deployed further forward instead?
Immaterial, now, as the World Cup winner prepares for life at Chelsea.
"You need luck in football," Van Gaal said. "It's not only quality. The quality in the crossing positions was not so good. We did not make the right choices. We played, as a team, fantastic I think."
The failures to snare Nicolas Otamendi and Pedro this week had United fans looking around their squad and wondering if their transfer window had been as good as they were imagining.
Sergio Romero came in on a free amid little interest from elsewhere. Who else would take a good-for-60-minutes Bastian Schweinsteiger on those wages and at that price off Bayern Munich's hands?
Memphis will be a star, as Van Gaal again predicted in the matchday programme here, but at 22 he will not be producing the goods every week.
Here, he appeared a little over-eager to match his exertions from Tuesday. He was, again, beating his full-back for fun and even stuck one through the legs of Chancel Mbemba but he was in a hurry to score goals even if the chance was not fully presenting itself.
He shot from awkward angles instead of passing and saw a few efforts blocked down too.
Rooney huffed and puffed. He is neither striker nor No.10 in this United team and formation and even against his favourite quarry, Newcastle, he could not get his eye in.
This time last year, United fans were chuckling at the puzzle of having to fit Angel di Maria, Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata into the one team. Last year's expected feast did not exactly go to plan but still looks far more appetising that what's on offer at Old Trafford at the moment.
Van Gaal successfully managed to turn around United's ailing defence and they are yet to concede this season in the league.
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