It ended in FA Cup glory, but there is no getting away from the fact that Manchester United did not have a particularly good season this year.
Injuries may have ravaged Erik ten Hag's side, but their eighth-placed finish in the Premier League was entirely justified.
Alongside having just the ninth-best attack in the league, the Red Devils conceded a whopping 58 goals, or 29 more than second-placed Arsenal.
So, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co have a lot of work to do this summer, but it looks like they're already on the right track, as the latest player touted for a move to Old Trafford could be the perfect long-term partner for Lisandro Martínez.
Manchester United transfer news
According to a recent report from Portuguese outlet A Bola, Manchester United are one of several clubs interested in signing Sporting CP's Ousmane Diomande this summer.
Alongside United, the report names Liverpool, Arsenal and Newcastle as the teams keen on the Ivorian international, although the Red Devils' have supposedly earmarked him as a priority replacement for Raphaël Varane, who announced his departure from the club last month.
The report claims that the Lisbon-based side have set the bar for offers at around €50m to €60m, which works out to be about £43m to £51m, which may prove to be a fair price in the long run.
It might be challenging to get over the line, but with Varane gone, the club need a new long-term defensive partner for Martinez, and Diomande might be the perfect candidate.
Why Diomande would be the ideal Martinez partner
Described as a "hybrid between Gabriel and Saliba" by data analyst Ben Mattinson, Diomande would be the ideal defender to start alongside Martinez for several reasons in the foreseeable future.
The first is rather straightforward, but it does make a difference: his preferred foot. The 20-year-old centre-back is primarily right-footed, meaning that he'd comfortably fit alongside the left-footed Argentine and help create a more balanced backline.
His underlying numbers are the second reason, as in a direct comparison with the United stars he doesn't look out of place in the slightest and even comes out on top in a number of metrics.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.09
0.03
0.09
Goals
0.09
0.04
0.07
Progressive Passes
5.15
3.53
3.86
Progressive Carries
0.94
0.51
1.05
Passing Accuracy
91.6%
87.0%
88.9%
Shot-Creating Actions
1.15
0.77
1.05
Tackles Won
1.02
1.19
0.72
Tackles + Interceptions
2.30
3.70
2.16
Blocks
0.47
2.17
1.50
Miscontrols
0.38
0.47
0.39
Ball Recoveries
5.62
6.98
4.38
Aerial Duels Won
2.00
1.36
1.37
For example, the "immense" youngster, as described by U23 scout Antonio Mango, produces a higher non-penalty expected goal and assists figure, more progressive passes, more shot-creating actions, maintains a better passing accuracy, miscontrols the ball the least, and wins the most aerial duels, all per 90.
The last reason he'd be a brilliant addition to the back line is another simple one: his stature. As demonstrated by his individual statistics, the player Mango describes as "the perfect blend of a modern-day centre-back and a no-nonsense centre-back" wins significantly more aerial duels than 'the butcher' and could leverage his 6 foot 3 frame to counteract any drawbacks that come from the Argentine's height.
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Ultimately, there will always be an element of risk when it comes to signing players from non-top five leagues, but given his performances this season, his underlying numbers, his age and the way he is spoken about by those in the know, signing Diomande to be Martinez's longterm centre-back partner could be a brilliant move by Ratcliffe and Co.