I mean the same can be said for every side. City have been missing the best midfielder in the league in De Bruyne, we’ve been missing probably our best midfielder in Thiago, Chelsea have been missing Nkunku, etc.

He’s also someone that was competing for everything at Madrid and moved to a club that competes for a champions league spot every year.

Luckily for United, they have options for this.

It wasn’t due to Pickford. He had a great 21/22 season immediately after the injury and was vital at us being in the running for all four competitions until the final days of the season. Sometimes players just have poor seasons by their high standards (something we often erase from our minds years down the line when we evaluate them after their playing career is over). He had a midfield with no legs in front of him which definitely also played a big part.