Either side of a third semi-final defeat for Manchester United this season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer talked transfers.
He knew, regardless of the outcome of Sunday’s game against Sevilla, his squad was short.
And it will take more than Jadon Sancho to cure all of his ills.
He has done as much as could be expected with this group of players – securing a return to the Champions League with wise recruitment and impressive development of individuals.
But now is the time for phase two of his Old Trafford revolution and that means going again in the transfer market.
"It's not about a marquee signing, it's about quality,” he said after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat in Cologne. “The right personality that fits into the group.
“I cannot say when or if transfers will be done, but we are looking at it. We have to be 100 per cent sure when we make those deals."
Solskjaer used the eve of the semi to remind Ed Woodward it would cost significant money to improve his squad to the point of turning them into Premier League title challengers next season.
The £108million Borussia Dortmund have quoted for top target Sancho is just the start of it.
Victor Lindelof’s hapless defending as Luuk de Jong struck the winner on Sunday was a reminder of the need for a solid partner for Harry Maguire.
The problems go deeper than that for United – and Solskjaer has made that clear since lockdown.
A largely unchanged starting XI for the past two months confirms the lack of depth at the Norwegian’s disposal.
Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira, Diogo Dalot, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo all look vulnerable.
Juan Mata’s enduring quality means he still has the brains and technique to make an impact, even if his legs don’t fit into the high pressing, high energy game Solskjaer is instilling into his team.
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Odion Ighalo, who has extended his loan until January, increasingly looks like an odd man out, while Daniel James is only part way through an extremely steep learning curve.
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That Solskjaer waited until 87 minutes to make a change against Sevilla spoke volumes about the faith he has in his support cast.
With precious few game-changers on the bench, he preferred to toil with the tired legs and minds that had already run out of energy and ideas.
In truth, they should have had the game wrapped up by then, with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood all having chances to win the game, before De Jong’s sucker punch.
But their wastefulness could in some part be attributed to the sheer volume of football they’ve been forced to play due to a lack of alternatives for Solskjaer.
That’s why Sancho will be such a vital addition to his attack.
United legend Paul Scholes endorsed the pursuit of the England winger.
“We talk about spending money and about buying centre-forwards and wide players, you are talking about millions, but they score the big goals,” he told BT Sport. “I think if Sancho is in that team tonight they score one of those.”
Attacking additions were always the priority after strengthening in defence with Maguire and Wan-Bissaka last summer. But Solskjaer is still to find the right balance at the back.
Kalidou Koulibaly is his dream partner for Maguire – but the Napoli defender is likely to be out of their reach price-wise as they focus the majority of their budget on Sancho.
They have been strongly linked with Gabriel Magalhaes, who represents a cheaper alternative.
Jack Grealish and Donny van de Beek are on Solskjaer’s radar as midfield reinforcements – but if Paul Pogba stays, they could look to strengthen with a holding player instead.
The depth of strengthening required to bridge the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City is made all the more difficult in the wake of coronavirus.
United’s budget has been restricted by the impact of having to play behind closed doors and offer a rebate to broadcasters.
They remain committed to being active in a depressed market, but the protracted negotiations for Sancho point to the problems they could face when trying to find value this summer.
Solskjaer spoke of needing to make the ‘right’ signings. If he is to build on the positives of this season, he simply can’t afford to put a foot wrong.