In the context of a 90 minute game against the Premier League's runaway leaders, a 2-0 defeat doesn't sound like the worst result in the world for Manchester United. Their arch-rivals Liverpool have been blowing past sides all season, scoring 52 goals in the process - the division's second-best record behind Manchester City.

But in the grand scheme of things, the Red Devils faced familiar travails, particularly going forward. After 23 games of the season, they have scored just 36 times in the top-flight, and whilst a new striker may have to be on the cards, they have a far more pressing need for a creative number ten. Just 23% of their attacks come via the middle of the pitch - a record that is only good enough for 13th in the rankings.

Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

And against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, their lack of a dominant presence in that more advanced role was particularly telling. Andreas Pereira was given the task of being the side's chief creator, and the Brazilian failed miserably. Whilst he certainly huffed and puffed - he involved himself in 13 total duels - there was a glaring lack of end product.

As per Sofascore, he missed one big chance, had just one shot on target, and provided just one key pass. Not to mention the fact he only had 44 touches of the ball too. The play-maker role has to be filled by someone who is confident enough in dictating the tempo of the game, regardless of the opposition. Pereira simply got lost and overwhelmed by the Liverpool midfielders, losing possession 19 times.

And when Juan Mata came on for the final 16 minutes of the game at Anfield, things hardly got better. In fact, it arguably got even worse. He completed just one his three attempted crosses, failed to record a single successful dribble, and had just one shot on target. The Red Devils simply couldn't get any service into the likes of Anthony Martial and Daniel James, who only had 37 and 32 touches respectively over the 90 minutes.

Quickfire Quiz: How much do you know about Man Utd's history in the January transfer window?

Their creative struggles is exactly why a swoop for Bruno Fernandes has now become an absolute necessity for the Red Devils. The Portugal international has been in sensational form this season for Sporting CP, scoring 14 times and providing a further ten assists as per Whoscored. And when looking at his underlying numbers, you get a far bigger picture of why exactly he is a must-sign for United.

His average of 3.6 key passes, 56 average passes and 1.8 dribbles per game in Liga NOS makes him the perfect antidote for the Red Devils' problems in that number ten area. The 25-year-old can feed the likes of James and Martial and also take the game to the opposition himself with his direct running. They badly missed that quality against Liverpool, and Ed Woodward should surely now stop any dilly-dallying over price and finalise the signing of Fernandes.

Meanwhile, Manchester United fans discuss their transfer battle with Chelsea over this starlet.