Pablo Sarabia’s second-half free-kick gives Wolves victory at Manchester United

It really did not need spelling out but everyone connected with Manchester United knows winning the Europa League is the only thing standing between them and a catastrophic campaign, the like of which it was impossible to imagine in the financially driven Premier League era.

Even last season, when they finished eighth, was better than this.

There were elements of positivity, which chiefly came through the mature performances of youngsters Harry Amass and, on his debut, 20-year-old central defender Tyler Fredricson.

But really, a largely drab encounter, in which the home side had just two shots on target, just emphasised that aside from skipper Bruno Fernandes, who was left on the bench for the first hour as Amorim focuses on the Europa League semi-final with Athletic Bilbao, United badly lack a creative spark.

Dan Bentley did tip a first-half Christian Eriksen free-kick over the bar but there never seemed likely to be a repeat of the late heroics against Lyon.

Teenage forward Chido Obi came on for Hojlund towards the end but the youngster never threatened either and Fernandes screwed a good opportunity wide from Garnacho’s cut-back.

And, as United have significant issues on the pitch, there is a great sense of unease off it as well.

There were no significant protests arranged by the more militant supporter groups.

But right in front of the directors box the fans, many of whom have had season tickets for decades, continued to make their feelings known about their pending relocation to create a new corporate seating area.

Banners including blunt messages like ‘tourists over fans’ and more detailed ones, accusing owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family of letting supporters down, were raised barely 10 yards away from chief executive Omar Berrada and chief operating officer Collette Roche as they took their seats in the directors box.