For all the concern over how painfully old fashioned Manchester United have looked at times this season, still employing cautiously functional play while Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City have enjoyed thrilling campaigns built on intensity and fluidity in attack, Jose Mourinho inadvertently answered the problem himself back in December upon taking a swipe at the Premier League champions.
Questioning United's capacity to spend compared to their noisy neighbours, the Portuguese lamented that his opposite number at the Etihad Stadium was buying full-backs - namely Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy, who set City back just shy of £100million - for the price of centre-forwards.
And yet, that complaint was telling of how outdated some aspects of this United team are, and perhaps more worryingly Mourinho's own interpretation of the modern game. Indeed, we're now living in an era of football in which full-backs can be as important as strikers through their ability to alter the dynamics of a team.
For all intents and purposes, there have only been three differences in personnel between the City team that finished third last term and the one on course to become the first club in Premier League history to breach the 100-point mark this time around. Ederson has been a crucial influence between the sticks, providing not only the authority Claudio Bravo lacked but also incredible ability on the ball, and Walker and Fabian Delph, standing in for Mendy, have completely changed the dynamics of this City team as well.
Aleksandar Kolarov, Barary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Pablo Zabaleta had been amongst the best full-backs in the Premier League during the five years previous for different reasons, but their ageing legs just couldn't keep up with the way Guardiola wanted his team to play. Likewise, all developed their games during a period in which full-backs were still defenders first and foremost; these days, they've essentially become midfielders, providing the box-to-box dynamism once expected of those in the engine room.
Of course, Mourinho's game-plan differs greatly to Guardiola's, but forward-thinking full-backs seems to be a prerequisite for top Premier League clubs these days regardless of style of play; Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal all use attacking full-backs, while Chelsea have even taken the evolution a step further - winning last season's title with wing-backs in their 3-4-3 setup.
Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young are both attacking in nature, having enjoyed their heydays as traditional wingers. And in some senses, it seems counter-intuitive to criticise them; captain Valencia has probably been United's most consistent player this season after David De Gea, and Ashley Young's emergence at left-back has been the most surprising success story of the campaign. There are certainly players who have made less significant contributions this season, and been far more culpable for United's most difficult moments.
And yet, the fact remains that both are the wrong side of 30, and both lack the same athletic dynamism as someone like Walker or Mendy. They're the pinnacle of the new generation of full-backs expected to marshal entire flanks almost single-handed; for how good Valencia and Young have been this season, they're at best a mere imitation - a stop-gap solution to keep up with modern trends without forking out the cost to do so.
Last weekend's shock defeat to West Brom provided a key example of that; the space on Sunday was unquestionably out wide as the Baggies set up in a narrow defensive block, but Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata both naturally looked to move inside. That should have given Valencia and Young license to gallop forward, to become United's wingers and make space in central areas by stretching the Baggies.
But by the time the Red Devils reached the final third, Valencia and Young were still sitting by the halfway line. Tellingly, throughout the entire the match, the pair had attempted just five crosses - only one of which hit its target - and failed to complete a single dribble between them.
Walker and Mendy would have approached that situation far more proactively, and would have probably made a far greater impact against such modest opposition.
In terms of summer priorities, Mourinho will probably feel he has more prevalent issues; there's still a worrying imbalance in United's midfield that continues to inhibit Paul Pogba, and the heart of defence needs a real superstar too.
But City have shown over the last two seasons just how instrumentally valuable full-backs are these days by bringing real dynamism and flair to the side - there's a reason they're starting to cost almost as much as strikers, and that's where United and Mourinho desperately need to catch up.
Do United need to sign new full-backs this summer? Let us know by voting below...
'We are United - An Evening with Norman Whiteside and friends," is taking place this Friday at 7.30pm at the Loop Bar, 19 Dering Street, Mayfair, London, W1.
Norman will talk about his career, United today and a Q&A, with a preview of the semi-final against Spurs. We've billed it as Norman and friends as we have a number of celebrities attending including Alex Best, Gary Webster and Ron Brand who has intimated that Russell may possibly come with him. All the celebs will be available for selfies and autographs and mingling with the audience. After we have finished the show , there will be music and a bar which will stay open until 3.00am. Thank goodness the game on Saturday doesn't kick-off until 5:30!!
The following link will take you to the ticketing page where there is further details of the night.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e
/we-are-united-with-norman-whi
teside-an-evening-with-norman-
and-friends-tickets-4470620245
5