It has been a huge fall from grace for Raphael Varane, who was the first name on the teamsheet last season.
The Frenchman looked like he would be the leader of the new, great Manchester United team emerging under Erik ten Hag last year.
Fast forward to today, and the defender is out of the team, apparently out of favour, and United are already willing to move him on.
Now, Teamtalk reports that not only are United willing to sell the World Cup winner, but they are also open to taking a loss on their marquee investment.
Ten Hag is willing to start negotiations for the player at just £35 million, a £5 million decrease from the price he was brought for from Real Madrid.
Obviously, if the negotiations begin at £35 million, then it would be unrealistic for United to get that price, meaning that the loss they take will be huge at the end.
Their situation is not helped by the startling lack of interest in the Frenchman.
Bayern Munich have registered an interest but they have been notoriously penny-pinching when it comes to buying players, always looking for a shrew investment first.
Then there’s the Saudi Arabian Pro League, which is more known for providing fat paychecks to the players instead of spending huge sums in transfer fees.
The wildcard which recently emerged was Olympique Marseille, who are not European financial heavyweights by any stretch of the imagination.
Ultimately, it has resulted in United having to soften their stance on a player who couldn’t make the team over a soon-to-be 36-year-old Jonny Evans.
While Harry Maguire has resurrected his career this season, it looks like the vacant space hurt the players too much and Varane has slid in that slot perfectly.
Unfortunately for United, this means another big money dud they’ll have to take a loss on.
Lesson learned, finally? Most fans wouldn’t bet on it.