As Manchester United crashed to defeat away to rivals Arsenal in their last Premier League outing, it was yet another day in which the Red Devils' attacking unit simply failed to click, having been reliant on a rare breakaway from Marcus Rashford to eventually get on the scoresheet.
Remarkably, the Englishman's first-half strike was the first by any member of the forward line so far this term, with the club's top-flight goals prior to that having come from Raphael Varane, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.
While there is nothing wrong with sharing the goalscoring burden, it represents a sorry state of affairs for those at the top end of the pitch, with manager Erik ten Hag likely hoping that summer signing Rasmus Hojlund – who made a late cameo debut appearance at the weekend – can begin to catch fire following the international break.
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One man who has particularly underwhelmed over an extended period of time is £73m man, Jadon Sancho, with it difficult to see a way back for the Englishman amid what has been another turbulent week at Old Trafford.
What has happened to Jadon Sancho at Man United?
While treble winner Dwight Yorke previously suggested that the 23-year-old was on "borrowed time" at the Theatre of Dreams, that has only been exacerbated by his recent outburst following the loss to the Gunners, with the former Borussia Dortmund man firing back at his manager on Twitter amid criticism of his training performance by the Dutchman.
In truth, however, the fact that the one-time Manchester City man had not been selected in the squad for the trip to the Emirates was of little note initially such is his lowly standing at present, with rumours having suggested that the club were even open to selling the winger during the summer window.
That marks a stark decline for a figure who was hailed as someone who "has got everything" by ex-United defender Rio Ferdinand during his time at Dortmund, for whom he scored 50 goals and provided 64 assists in 137 games.
Now with just 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances for the Manchester giants, Sancho has simply not delivered what was expected upon his arrival two years ago, with Ten Hag rightly said to be growing 'increasingly impatient' with the player.
As pundit Tim Sherwood noted last season, the £350k-per-week dud simply looks desperately low on "confidence" at present, having seemingly not benefitted from a spell away from the first team earlier this year.
Those longstanding woes – as well as his public jab at Ten Hag – will likely ensure that Sancho's hopes of a regular and prominent role in the side are only set to suffer even further, with it wise to consider who could replace him in the attacking ranks move forward.
Who could replace Sancho at Man United?
It has been hard for the London-born enigma to find a settled home in Ten Hag's side with both Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho the favoured options on the left flank, while Antony has been the regular pick on the opposite wing.
Sancho was even trialled as an unorthodox centre-forward option in pre-season, yet the £72m capture of Hojlund has ensured that such an experiment is unlikely to continue, hence leaving the Englishman as something of a spare part.
Equally, Ten Hag does already boast some exciting attacking talents who can step up to the plate such as Facundo Pellistri, while Amad Diallo is another who is likely hoping to find a role for himself either on the flanks or through the middle.
The Ivorian starlet was particularly impressive last season after scoring 14 goals in the second tier for Championship side, Sunderland, having helped to propel the Black Cats into the playoffs – where they were ultimately seen off by Luton Town.
That impressive campaign likely sparked excitement back at his parent club at the prospect of finally making his mark in the red jersey this season, albeit with injury having cruelly curtailed his involvement so far.
With the 21-year-old – who has scored once in nine appearances for the club to date – having also still yet to truly convince in a United shirt since his arrival from Atalanta back in 2021, it is worth considering alternative options from the academy ranks who can also take Sancho's place.
One such talent who has notably caught the eye of late is Colombian "wonderkid" – as previously hailed by journalist Bolarinwa Olajide – Mateo Mejia…
Who is Mateo Mejia?
While not a name likely familiar to most of a United persuasion, the 20-year-old – who signed from Spanish outfit Real Zaragoza back in 2019 – has enjoyed an impressive start to the new campaign, with such a promising run of form coming just in time amid Sancho's woes.
The versatile right-winger – who can also operate in a centre-forward berth – already has three goals and one assist to his name in just four appearances in all competitions so far this term, including a brace in the remarkable 10-1 demolition of Stoke City at U21 level.
That brutal rout saw the promising marksman net the game's second goal with a somewhat fortunate deflected effort from the right flank, while United's number seven on the day then bagged his second – and the home side's seventh – after calmly taking the ball around the onrushing goalkeeper and firing home.
Such composure in the final third is likely to have captured the attention of Ten Hag and his staff, with Mejia evidently a player that the club are keen to keep hold of after handing him a new deal at the end of last season, having seen his previous contract ebb towards its expiry.
The Colombia U20 international was hampered by injury last term which restricted him to just 15 appearances in total, albeit while still contributing two goals and four assists, taking his overall tally in the U21 set-up to five goals and five assists in only 22 games.
That is a far more impressive return than Sancho has achieved during his time at Old Trafford – albeit while operating at senior level – suggesting that there is a chance that Mejia could represent an upgrade in those wide berths, particularly with the current United first-teamer performing so poorly at present.
The likes of Amad and Pellistri may be the names on everybody's lips, yet it could be Mejia who emerges as one to watch this season.