Manchester United's demoralising defeat against West Ham was a stark reminder of how far they have fallen as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wrestles with how to turn around his side's fortunes, reports AFP.
Mistakes at the back, a desperate lack of midfield creativity and a worrying shortage of firepower up front have left the club well off the pace just six games into the new Premier League season.
The statistics do not make pretty reading for United fans. Since Solskjaer's honeymoon period came to an end in March they have won just five out of 19 matches in all competitions.
After nine successive away victories under the Norwegian in all competitions, they have now gone nine without a win and are already 10 points behind leaders Liverpool.
And it has all come at a time when their two main rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, are setting new standards at the top of the
Premier League.
To make matters even worse for the Solskjaer, England forward Marcus Rashford limped off in the second half, leaving him with no recognised striker on the pitch.
With Anthony Martial out of the picture because of injury, Jesse Lingard came on but looked anonymous as he battles to find form.
The midfield looks old, flat and ponderous, without injured Paul Pogba. A world away from the goalscoring power and creativity that Pep Guardiola's City boast in abundance.
United also have work to do at the back, despite the summer recruitment of Wan-Bissaka and Maguire at considerable cost.
Maguire is an upgrade at centre-back and has already shown glimpses of the leadership that the club were so sorely lacking last season and Wan-Bissaka has also impressed.
Solskjaer did his best to put a brave face on the defeat, saying it hinged on key moments that had gone West Ham's way.
"It's a good group to work with," he said of his players. "They're determined. Sometimes along the road you're going to hit some bumps, some highs and lows."
The more immediate problem is that on current form they look unlikely even to make the top four, which would mean another season out of the Champions League.
The season is still young but the clock is already ticking for Solskjaer.
