It seemed inconceivable, but things have somehow gone from bad to worse for Manchester United.
The club has been something of a circus in recent years, with high points in the post-Alex Ferguson era quickly followed by new lows, and it appears as though Erik Ten Hag's side are cascading towards a new rock bottom during his tenure.
Sunday's defeat to Manchester City may not have brought such shame if it weren't for the shambolic performances of many of the United players, with both Roy Keane and Gary Neville ripping into the squad for their antics in the closing stages and dire showings overall.
Things took another dive on Wednesday night, as United chalked up a second consecutive 3-0 home defeat and were dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle, who they beat in last year's final.
In truth, it has been a shocking decline for Manchester United since that cup triumph last season, and there are several players in the squad whose continued presence in matchday squads baffles fans and pundits alike.
One such player is Anthony Martial.
The Frenchman signed for Manchester United in the summer of 2015, meaning he is somehow now in his ninth full season with the club. Early on in his time at the club, there were signs of promise, such as his late solo goal against Liverpool on his debut, or his 23-goal season in 2019-20.
But any hope of Martial developing into a talent of note at United evaporated years ago. The 27-year-old has scored just 18 goals in the past three years, and was yet again anonymous in Wednesday's defeat to Newcastle, mustering just one shot on goal.
Even before Martial had taken to the pitch on Wednesday night, a legendary former striker of both Manchester United and Newcastle, Andy Cole, had questioned the chance of him ever turning things around at the club.
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Manchester United: Andy Cole slates Anthony Martial for dire form
Andy Cole is an icon among the group of legendary Manchester United strikers, having scored 121 goals across an eight-year spell at the club, including 24 in the treble-winning 1999 season.
Ahead of Manchester United's defeat to another of Cole's former clubs on Wednesday night, the Englishman questioned Anthony Martial's shocking record up front for the club:
It's a tough one. He's been here what, nine years now?
He's scored 89 goals in nine years. When you're playing at a club like Manchester United and you're a centre forward, you know that's not enough goals.
I think with him being at Manchester United, I look at it and say to myself, 'can he take Manchester United where they need to be at?' He's been here nine years and he hasn't done it, so it's going to be very difficult for him to do it now.
The stats are damning for Martial. He has generated a dire 0.23 in xG this season across eight Premier League appearances up front, and has scored just once in all competitions.
"He's scored 89 goals in 9 years..."
...I don't think we're harsh enough!" 💢
Andy Cole and Gary Neville discuss Anthony Martial 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/ZChf6G0pRJ— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) November 1, 2023
Part of Martial's struggle has been related to his availability, with the former Monaco striker regularly suffering lengthy injury layoffs. Last season, he played fewer minutes for United than Wout Weghorst, who only arrived at the club late in the January transfer window.
Gary Neville would go on to point out as much, saying that Martial's injury struggles were not necessarily a reflection of his character. Nonetheless, the ex-United captain said the time for reasonably relying on Martial had long since come and gone:
I sometimes walk away from a broadcast like Sunday [the Manchester derby] asking, 'are we being too harsh?'
When you hear that stat there from Andy that a guy who's been at the club nine years as a goalscorer who cost 50, 60, 70 million quid has scored 89 goals...and we still can't even get him out of the club...I don't think we are being too harsh.
I don't think we're being harsh enough.
They're human beings at the end of the day. No one wants to go out on the pitch and play badly or not achieve their standards, no one wants to be injured...but the reality of it is that there's no way that he should still be at Manchester United leading the line in any competition.
The fact that Manchester United are still starting Anthony Martial in any competition in 2023 is a dire reflection on the situation at the club and, with numerous alternative signings in previous years having flopped, the pressure is now heavy on the shoulders of young Rasmus Hojlund to step into the void created by Martial's lack of goalscoring form.
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