Schmeichel doesn’t think it was ever set up to succeed, and even claimed that certain players refused to pass to him. Speaking of his compatriot, Schmeichel remarked: “Rasmus Hojlund was a goal machine. And he will be a goal machine everywhere.

“He’ll have periods where he doesn’t score, but he will score a lot of goals. He’s young and, from childhood, completely a Manchester United fan. He would do anything for this football club, and he played in the period where he had no service.”

Adding: “He had players there who very openly would not even pass it to him. A young kid who needed to be coached in order to maximise his great talent, which I think he has; I see him playing for Denmark.

“This is a fantastic player. What do we do? Well, we got the head of recruitment in from Red Bull [United’s director of recruitment, formerly technical director at RB Leipzig] and what does he do? He brings in his player.

“So you’ve got Benjamin Sesko, who is a great player but is always injured. He doesn’t play. We have already gone two years down the road with a striker who has so much potential. Why did we feel the need to make a change there?”

In the here and now, United find themselves one point above the relegation zone. It’s over 70 years since United were last relegated from the top-flight of English football, and their start to this season has left some wondering if they could be demoted.

They return to Premier League action this weekend with a tricky trip to Stamford Bridge in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off. After the Chelsea match, United return to the Champions League, this time with a home clash against Roma.

Their final match before the international break also comes at Old Trafford, with Aston Villa making the trip up north. Immediately after the international break though, it’s back-to-back away matches against Liverpool and Sporting.