From starting out at the Luzhniki Stadium in England's World Cup semi-final defeat by Croatia to barely getting a look in at Manchester United, Jesse Lingard is in desperate need of a kickstart to his career.
That summer in Russia represented what many thought would be the start of a purple patch for the Red Devils academy product who had steadily emerged from perennial loanee to guaranteed starter at Old Trafford.
But three appearances in all competitions this season tells a sorry story for the fan favourite and at 28, and entering the prime years of his career, Lingard can ill-afford to waste away on the outskirts of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad.