There was a sense of inevitability that Man United would be dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Tuesday, and Erik ten Hag will once again have to explain away the failings of his squad.
On the night, the Red Devils were compact and tenacious but their play lacked any real quality and they were completely impotent and moribund as an attacking force.
Missing both Marcus Rashford and Antony Martial, 20-year-old Rasmus Hojlund was left to lead the line and he wasn’t able to add to his goal tally.
It wasn’t just Tuesday night’s result that meant the European elimination as the Bayern defeat was their fourth in six.
There’s a legitimate argument that United’s failure in Europe and below par performances in the Premier League aren’t just down to a lack of quality and depth in the squad.
The Dutchman has had injuries to contend with throughout the campaign so far, and the loss of both Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw during the Bayern game means that United will have 10 players unavailable for their trip to Liverpool at the weekend according to Premier Injuries.
That includes captain, Bruno Fernandes, who is suspended for picking up a yellow card against Bournemouth.
Any team that has to deal with 10 players out at any one time is clearly not going to be close to their best.
It hasn’t always been that bad in 2023/24 of course, but ten Hag’s squad has never really settled during the current campaign.
Once everyone is back and available for selection, there could be an entirely different dynamic at Old Trafford.
As long as there are no more absentees, then it’s at the end of the season when the Dutchman should really be judged and not before.