It will be 10 years in June since Manchester United sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid and, when you take some time to jot down a list of the club’s best signings over that period compared to their domestic and European rivals, it is little wonder fans are concerned about the summer ahead.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has talked about a “survival of the best” cull at Old Trafford and his desire for a ruthless revamp will only have hardened in the wake of Sunday’s pitiful 4-0 capitulation at Everton, a damning defeat that has raised the stakes ahead of Wednesday's derby at home to Manchester City.

But even if United manage to chop much of the deadwood and move on other underperformers, there remains a big question mark over whether the club will first successfully identify and secondly secure the calibre of targets required to help overhaul the team and rotten player culture that has taken hold.

With Mike Phelan, Solskjaer’s No. 2, in line to become technical director, there is at least likely to be a shared philosophy in the transfer market, unlike last summer when there was a clash of cultures between Jose Mourinho and the recruitment department, with executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, in the middle.