As superlatives already begin to run out for Manchester's newest goalscoring maestro in Erling Braut Haaland, another notable subplot emerged during and in the aftermath of Sunday's madcap Manchester derby.
With Haaland smashing records on the pitch, the cameras regularly panned to Cristiano Ronaldo - arguably the greatest goalscorer the game has ever seen - with his head in his hands off it.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was reduced to a watching brief at the Etihad Stadium, left as an unused substitute with manager Erik ten Hag later revealing that he kept him on the bench out of "respect" for his legendary career.
The comments sparked a debate over Ronaldo's standing at the club, with the 37-year-old clearly out of favour under Ten Hag and facing the prospect of spending most of the season on the bench in what will surely be one of his final campaigns.
Time catches up with every player however great, but Ronaldo was Man United's leading scorer last season and showed little signs of slowing down before Ten Hag's arrival, insisting that he wanted to play on until his 40s.
With that in mind, here the Sports Mole team discuss whether they think Ronaldo should be starting for Ten Hag's side.
Barney Corkhill, Editor
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Ronaldo's case is such an interesting one, as his continued absence from starting lineups seems less to do with his physical capabilities due to his age, and more to do with his playing style not fitting into what Ten Hag wants, which begs the question why they fought so hard to keep him on such high wages during the summer.
Despite now being 37, I do not think there is any doubting Ronaldo's quality yet. There have been claims that his star is beginning to wane, but that should be kept in perspective; he is one of the greatest players of all time, and when playing regularly should still be regarded as one of the best players in the world.
His lack of pressing has been spoken about at length and it does appear to be the main reason behind Ten Hag's preference to leave him out of the starting lineup. That is understandable, but is also an issue which has been exacerbated by the players around him not picking up any slack which might arise when catering to an out-and-out goalscorer like Ronaldo.
Stick Ronaldo in that Man City team with such hard-working players all around him and I would wager that he, like Haaland, would be scoring for fun off Kevin De Bruyne's delivery, and that his pressing would not be such a talked-about issue. That said, Ten Hag must work with what he has at his disposal, and with those players in his preferred system, Ronaldo is probably a square peg in a round hole.
Up until the extraordinary exception of Sunday's derby, the Dutchman's decision-making had been vindicated by the results, with Ronaldo's only league start this season coming in the 4-0 defeat to Brentford. It is highly unlikely that Ronaldo's presence in the starting XI against Man City would have quelled the tide either.
I still believe there is plenty of life left in the Portuguese legend, but he may have to move elsewhere to prove that.
Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter
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I firmly believe that Manchester United have moved past the need for Cristiano Ronaldo. For all of his individual accolades, there is little he could have done to suppress Man City's dominance at the weekend, and he has already entered the twilight of his career.
Marcus Rashford's revival has been a welcome sight for Man United fans, and Anthony Martial proved that there is still life in his legs with his late brace in the derby.
Ronaldo did not cut the mustard for Portugal in the Nations League either last month, and if his authority and experience means that teammates may automatically try to pick him out rather than attempting a more effective phase of play, his presence may be more of a hindrance than a help.
Joel Lefevre, Reporter
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The way I see it Cristiano was never in Erik ten Hag's plans since the Dutchman took over, or at least he was not to play a significant role with the team.
It seems as though Man United had several options that would see Ronaldo leave the club and start fresh but chose to hang onto the veteran. That move alone I feel created an imbalance within this group early on and it remains a distraction in spite of the Red Devils' improvements domestically in September.
There's no doubt the Portuguese star is still a difference-maker and firing in goals, but United have put together some fine performances without him, so I don't think he should be starting, which could be good news for the Portuguese national team because the number 7 will be fired up like never before at the World Cup.
I understand why Ronaldo might feel a little insulted coming on as a sub in some of their lopsided defeats, however Ronaldo not on the field for me makes them more of a team because he has to have so many actions filter through him when he plays so I think it's best that Ten Hag keep him on the sidelines.
Dominic Lund, Reporter
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I agree with Erik ten Hag's omission of Cristiano Ronaldo from the Manchester United team recently, and think his game time should be limited going forward.
He will no doubt go down as one of the greatest players of all time, but time catches up with every player eventually, and at 37 Ronaldo is not as mobile as other attacking options at Ten Hag's disposal.
If United are to move forward and want to once again compete for the Premier League, they need to focus on bringing through younger talent.
Barney Corkhill
