What is Michael Carrick's best XI with everyone fit?
The international break has arrived at Manchester United at the perfect time, and Michael Carrick and his coaching staff must treat it like another pre-season.
But before the focus turns towards Carrick, the hierarchy must also take responsibility for where the club finds itself.
This was supposed to be the summer when the club backed its manager and made a genuine attempt to close the gap at the top of the Premier League.
Instead, some of the squad's most obvious weaknesses were left unresolved. The need for another left-back was hardly a secret, with Luke Shaw's injury record well documented, yet United entered the season without adequately addressing the position. That decision was always going to carry a risk.
Louis van Gaal said last year: "It is still a commercial club. It is not a football club. I have said that before."
Truthfully, though, the feeling that United is being run as a business rather than a football club has been around for far longer than the last 12 months.
The same cycle has become increasingly familiar. A manager is dismissed, another arrives midway through a season, results improve and Champions League q...