For much of the game against Viktoria Plzen, it was clear why Manchester United were willing to sell most of their players.
However, Rasmus Hojlund looked like a future player at Old Trafford under new head coach Ruben Amorim, with the Danish striker coming on midway through the second half at the Doosan Arena to help United turn the game around.
Hojlund scored twice, including the decisive strike in the 88th minute, to help the Red Devils to a hard-fought 2-1 win and move up to eighth in the Europa League. United are basically on the right track but a lot of trouble awaits them ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby.
Goalkeeper Andre Onana's form is a particular concern after his error allowed Viktoria Plzen to take the lead. A few days earlier, the Cameroonian was also at fault for two goals as Nottingham Forest beat Man United 3-2 at Old Trafford.
Onana could only feel relief when Hojlund scored in the last minute. Relief was also the main emotion for Amorim after a disappointing night.
"It wasn't a great game but we did some good things and I think we deserved to win. You want to see better things but then you remember, we didn't have much time to work.
"I think it was clear that we lacked pace in the first half. I'm always disappointed. I think I'll be like that for a while," said the Portuguese tactician.
Amorim said on his first day at Old Trafford that United were giving the ball away too much. A month on and the tactician is still trying to fix the problem. United's sloppiness was summed up by Joshua Zirkzee in the game against Viktoria Plzen.
Starting in Man United's front three, the Dutch striker lost the ball 11 times in the first 30 minutes. By the end of the first half, that number had risen to 16 times. He was finally substituted in the 61st minute with a total of 19 losses.
More importantly, Zirkzee is not the only player making such unnecessary mistakes for Man United. Individual mistakes are hindering the progress of the "Red Devils" under the new coach.
Overall, Hojlund's performance and Man United's fighting spirit to come back from behind are two positives that Amorim can bring to the Etihad this weekend.
"It's important not to give up. That's a great message. At this moment, we need to feel something and if we need to fight for each other for me, that's a very, very good sign," Amorim added.
