Erik ten Hag was always taking a risk when he named such a strong team to face Reading at the weekend.
The Manchester United manager insisted he stuck with his key players against the Championship side in order to help breed momentum, though an injury to Christian Eriksen could see that halted.
There are few players as integral to United's approach under Ten Hag as the Danish international, with his creativity and calmness the embodiment of everything the manager wants from his side.
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No United player has featured in more matches than Eriksen this season, and he ranks third in the squad for minutes played as well as starts.
But it looks like United will have to do without him for a while after the 30-year-old was seen leaving Old Trafford on crutches after being on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Andy Carroll.
Even before his injury, there were concerns about his recent drop-off in performance levels; he wasn't playing poorly, but he wasn't producing at the same level he had earlier in the season.
Ten Hag has identified the need to sign a similar creative midfielder in the summer to offset the reliance on Eriksen, and it seems like he'll have to find a short-term fix too if they are to keep playing the way he wants.
United still lack a ready-made replacement for Eriksen, but they do at least have three players in the squad who could offset his loss in different ways.
The most obvious would be for Fred to take his position. The Brazilian might not be as technically gifted as his teammate, but he has impressed in a similar role previously when given licence to roam in attack.
Fred still lacks the passing expertise to break down the low block as well as Eriksen does, though he is a good link-up player and could work well in a midfield trio alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.
United also have a couple of young players in a similar mould to the former Tottenham player, though it would be a tough ask for either of them to play regularly at this stage of their development.
Zidane Iqbal burst onto the scene last summer for his performances as a deep-lying playmaker during pre-season and has continued to impress at youth level throughout the campaign.
The 19-year-old has yet to make a competitive appearance under Ten Hag this season, though, and was back playing for the U21s last Friday as he waits for his chance in the first team.
Iqbal was understood to be keen on a loan exit this window, but following the injury to Eriksen it seems unlikely a deal will happen, given that they are now short of a senior midfielder and already have Donny van de Beek sidelined until the end of the season.
Kobbie Mainoo appears to have leapfrogged his fellow academy graduate in the United hierarchy and impressed from the bench in the win over Reading on Saturday night.
The 17-year-old was behind Iqbal and Charlie Savage last summer and has sprung a surprise with his impressive development, so much so that he is now effectively a first team player.
Mainoo is still an incredibly raw talent who has only made two competitive appearances at senior level, but could certainly benefit from more meaningful playing time in the coming weeks given the midfield shortage.
He is not necessarily at the stage where he could be expected to start matches, though there is certainly an argument for the Youth Cup winner to be brought on in those that are already won or when they are in need of fresh legs in the closing stages.
With a deadline-day midfield signing looking unlikely, it appears United will have to rely on what they already have to deal with the absence of star man Eriksen.
They have three people who could do that.
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