Erik ten Hag's Manchester United side have been hugely handicapped this season.
That can't be used as the sole excuse for their worst start to a campaign since 1989 but whether or not the Glazers will sell up has hardly been a nice distraction.
Neither has what seems to be a feud between the club's Dutch coach and Jadon Sancho after a war of words played out following the defeat to Arsenal.
Since that game, mixed results have followed for the Red Devils who have lost four and won three of their fixtures.
The current international break is timely, therefore, as Ten Hag aims to get his squad firing again as they look to turn around their form.
What will be hard to resolve is a disjointed squad with their attack, in particular, struggling. Marcus Rashford has found the net just once after a scintillating 2022/23 season where everything turned to gold. In fact, hardly anyone in their forward line has fired effectively, with their top scorer that of Casemiro with four. That rather says it all, doesn't it?
Sancho must be thinking how on earth he's found himself alienated on the sidelines, playing EA FC 24, rather than actual football.
Why is Jadon Sancho not in the squad?
The 23-year-old's tale in Manchester has been one of woe after moving from Borussia Dortmund in a big money £73m transfer.
At the time, he was billed as one of the most exciting young footballers in the country but now he is anything but.
Sancho hasn't played any football since appearing as a substitute against Nottingham Forest in late August, with Ten Hag admitting after the loss to Arsenal that his 'performance in training' was to blame.
The England international responded quickly, suggesting he had been made a scapegoat. It was honest but ultimately a statement that could well mean the end of his United career.
He has played just 77 minutes of league football this term having been in the starting XI on just 21 occasions in the top-flight last season with six goals and three assists tallied up.
Those goal contributions took him to 12 strikes and six assists since moving from the Bundesliga. Hardly ideal numbers given the price tag.
Sadly, he's not the only big-money signing who has failed to set the world alight in Manchester of late. Just ask Antony.
How many goals has Antony scored for Man United?
If Sancho feels scapegoated then you dread to think how their Brazilian wide man feels. In flashes, he shows majestic moments of brilliance but on his day, he can also be truly ineffective and inconsistent.
In his debut season at Old Trafford the 23-year-old found the net ten times but only four of those strikes came in a disappointing league return.
To exacerbate his disappointing displays, in six outings throughout the 2023/24 term, the former Ajax star is yet to register a single goal involvement.
Considering this was an £86m signing, a meagre tally of eight goals and three assists in half a century of appearances is poor work.
It's rather remarkable, therefore, to think that a player they let go for free a number of years ago is posting more prolific figures. Alexis Sanchez, anyone?
What did Alexis Sanchez achieve at Man Utd?
Did anyone order a piano? Sanchez certainly did after moving to the Red Devils from Arsenal. A move had been long-awaited for the Chilean who left the Gunners and Arsene Wenger's clutches in a straight swap deal involving Henrikh Mkhitaryan and no cash to either party.
This was an exciting transfer for United as they welcomed a player with 80 goals and 45 assists to his name at the Emirates Stadium.
Sadly, he never lived up to the hype in the north west. There were some flashes of excellence but rather like Antony, he had that inconsistent streak to his game.
Innovative and full of flair in his prime, Sanchez unfortunately did not deliver at Man United, ultimately being released by the club after a mutual termination of his contract was agreed.
The Chile international still had two years left to run on his deal in August 2020 before waiving the final part of that contract to join Inter Milan on a free transfer.
It was a nightmare end to his wonderful stint in England, with the now 34-year-old even admitting his regret at moving to United. He once said of the move: "I realised a lot of things. After my first training session, I got home and told my family and my agent – can I not rip up my contract and go back to Arsenal?" The grass isn't always greener on the other side, is it Alexis?
Where is Alexis Sanchez now?
Since leaving the Premier League, the former Barcelona star has been rather enjoying his football.
An immediate move to Inter and Serie A was fairly profitable as he scored 20 goals and 23 assists over three seasons of football between 2020 and 2022.
A move to Marseille was in the works for last season and it was in Ligue 1 where he truly rediscovered his electric touch in the final third.
The 2022/23 campaign marked one of the finest of Sanchez's career to date with the veteran amassing a haul of 18 strikes and three assists in 44 outings.
It was stunning form and coincidentally, a great deal more than the likes of Antony and Sancho offered last term in the red of Man United.
Now back at Inter again, he is yet to score this season but watching the great Chilean under Ten Hag would have been a captivating sight. It's just a shame things never worked out for Sanchez and United.
