If Louis van Gaal’s blazon attempt to rewrite history could be ignored as little more than an excuse by an arrogant man unable to accept he had failed as Manchester United manager, there was one element of his diatribe that lingered in the air after this fortuitous victory over Watford.

Van Gaal said and claimed a lot that deserved to be challenged as he reflected on his two-year reign as United manager last week, but the suggestion that we, in England, are more interested in analysing the result than the performance did cause pause for thought.

The Dutchman’s attempt to repaint his time at United, offering the defence his team performed better than their points tally suggested, conveniently glossed over the fact the style of the performance was generally the problem. Even when United won, it was difficult to enjoy watching them play.

That does not diminish the relevance of the wider point. Against Watford, United were poor, dreadful even. They were out-played for long periods, to such an extent that it resembled all those miserable, dysfunctional days under Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.

With Paul Pogba jogging and drifting, Nemanja Matic loose and wasteful, Ander Herrera impotent and Anthony Martial at his infuriatingly ambivalent worst, United were as bad as they had been in their FA Cup defeat to Wolves before the international break, if not worse.