In the end, it was over at Sixfields. A windy night down at lowly Northampton Town and Memphis Depay’s first start under Jose Mourinho.
Managers cannot be won over against League One opposition in the EFL Cup but they can certainly be lost. After 55 minutes of toil and inability to impress himself on inferior markers, Depay was hooked. From that moment forth, his Manchester United career was over.
The sight of Depay trudging off and Mourinho disappointedly tapping his head presented the definitive point of no return, but some team-mates had held misgivings for almost 12 months by then.