Out of the Champions League, out of the title race, out of the battle for the top four, the FA Cup and Carling Cup both a distant memory; Manchester United’s miserable season is now complete and their 2014-15 campaign will begin almost immediately — in the boardroom rather than on the pitch.

This is a world which demands instant gratification; one in which you can play guitar on a games consul rather than practise the real thing until your fingers bleed; one in which football chairmen cannot wait months let alone years for success — and one in which high-profile transfer deadline-day signings are expected to be heroes before they have unpacked their suitcases.

Arsenal 0 Everton 0