At eight o'clock outside the Stretford End on Sunday night, Manchester United supporters were still lined up. Bruno Fernandes had put in a shift on the pitch and it continued towards the car park as he fulfilled as many autograph and selfie requests as possible.

It was a night for the United captain to make time for the matchgoers after a respectable end to Ruud van Nistelrooy's first week in interim charge. It was not a bad draw with Chelsea but there was not a lot of good about it.

Noussair Mazraoui was United's most accomplished performer and, at the time of writing, he is one of two successful signings of the Erik ten Hag era. The other is Jonny Evans.

Evans was invited in to train with United by his old mate Darren Fletcher. Then he was invited to attend the pre-season tour. Then he was invited to sign a one-year contract. Then he ended up playing 30 games.

That would only happen at United. Even a feel-good story like Evans' is cause for self-reflection and analysis.

There is another conundrum at centre back: how has Victor Lindelof survived eight years at United? Lindelof has started in two of the past four games and was teammates with Ruben Amorim at Benfica. They lunched together in the Carrington canteen during Amorim's internship at United in April 2018.

One hopes for United's sake that Amorim and the Ineos brains trust agree Lindelof should be released next summer. Ineos's card is already marked following a blinkered and Dutch-centric first transfer window. Mazraoui, hitherto the only success, signed the shortest contract of the five to arrive.

Players and their representatives have seen United dole out five-year contracts like Jordan Belfort flicking dollar notes. So they hold out for five years, which could be a quarter or a third of a player's career. Too often United yield.

The Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules have actually encouraged longer contracts through the amortisation practice as a player's fee is spread across the length of their contract. So Joshua Zirkzee, a PS36.5million buy, is costing United a paltry PS7.3m a year in their accounts.

Only Zirkzee does not resemble a footballer, never mind a striker. There were more disbelieving sighs from the stands during his meek cameo against Chelsea. It is now one goal in 15 games.

Hojlund has hung off Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo's coattails when on Sunday he failed to release Garnacho down the right and then the left-hand channel. Garnacho expressed his dismay, as he had at Zirkzee's glacial play against Fenerbahce.

With Hojlund, there are attributes to get behind. He is direct, quick and puts himself about. Zirkzee does not. He was seemingly signed as he had a release clause and is Dutch.

It is not too early to conclude United have to cut their losses on Zirkzee next year. Amorim's 3-4-3 formation requires a proven goalscorer. That is not Hojlund or Zirkzee, so one of them has to make way. Zirkzee is the inferior frontman and the more economical investment.

Lindelof has to be let go, Evans they can play by ear and retaining Maguire, a veteran of United and England back threes, would be prudent. Lindelof leaving would free up room for another incoming at centre back.

Maybe when Amorim has left-footed wing-backs fit he can drop Diogo Dalot for Mazraoui on the right. Left back has been United's problem position for upwards of a year and that department needs a thorough clearout.

The notion it would be extreme to discard two left backs is misplaced. Manchester City's dominance under Pep Guardiola was underpinned by the departures of all four full backs in the 2017 summer.

Luke Shaw turns 30 in June and is already into his 11th year at United. Fernandes is 27 club appearances shy of Shaw's 275. Shaw made his debut in September 2014. Fernandes debuted in February 2020.

Shaw's conditioning and fitness have been risible for much of his time at United and his five-year renewal in April 2023 was excessive. The club cannot count on a player who put his country first during the European Championship, returned for pre-season three months ago and got injured without participating in a full team training session.

Mason Mount and United was a mismatch from the get-go. Mount got a 'knock' five weeks ago and has been knocked out. If standards are to be restored at United, underperforming players cannot be afforded a third season. Antony has made it into a third but is such an irrelevance the severity of his ankle sprain has not been deemed newsworthy.

Christian Eriksen, one of the few respectable performers at United this term, turns 33 in February and his deal expires in seven months. Casemiro turns the same age eight days later and there is a reason why he looked in his element against Leicester's reserves in the League Cup.

The only signing they should be doing is for autographs.