The 2022/23 season has been an unmitigated disaster for Manchester United thus far.
Last Saturday evening, Erik ten Hag's tasted defeat in the Premier League for the second consecutive match - and it really was a demolition job.
After losing 2-1 to Brighton, United travelled to Brentford in search of three points, but were instead on the receiving end of a 4-0 thrashing.
Goals from Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee and Bryan Mbeumo condemned the Red Devils to one of the most humiliating defeats in their long history.
What makes United's demise in recent years even worse is the fact that the club have been spending a ridiculous amount of money throughout the course of it.
They spent £85 million on club captain Harry Maguire and are currently paying some of their failing stars a ridiculous amount of money.
And when we say ridiculous, we mean it.
According to data collected by Capology for FBREF, United have the highest wage bill of any Premier League team - and the fifth highest in the world.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 20: Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United speaks with Harry Maguire of Manchester United during the UEFA Champions League group F match between Manchester United and Atalanta at Old Trafford on October 20, 2021 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
Check out the figures...
The 20 teams with the highest wage bills in world football
20. Crystal Palace | £1,333,846 per week | £69,360,000 per year
19. Aston Villa | £1,390,000 per week | £72,280,000 per year
18. Leicester City | £1,412,885 per week | £73,470,000 per year
17. Sevilla | £1,464,590 per week | £76,158,671 per year
16. AS Roma | £1,520,038 per week | £79,041,999 per year
TIRANA, ALBANIA - MAY 25: Tammy Abraham of AS Roma celebrates after the full time whistle during the UEFA Conference League final match between AS Roma and Feyenoord at Arena Kombetare on May 25, 2022 in Tirana, Albania. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
15. Borussia Dortmund | £1,578,676 per week | £82,085,973 per year
14. Villarreal | £1,618,903 per week | £84,182,941 per year
13. Inter Milan | £2,103,793 per week | £109,397,236 per year
12. Arsenal | £2,125,769 per week | £110,540,000 per year
11. Tottenham Hotspur | £2,202,115 per week | £114,510,000 per year
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on August 6, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
10. Juventus | £2,503,640 per week | £130,189,305 per year
9. Atletico Madrid | £2,867,390 per week | £149,104,255 per year
8. Liverpool | £2,911,577 per week | £151,402,000 per year
7. Manchester City | £2,968,692 per week | £154,372,000 per year
6. Chelsea | £3,816,154 per week | £198,440,000 per year
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JULY 20: Raheem Sterling of Chelsea looks on during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Chelsea FC and Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium on July 20, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
5. Manchester United | £4,029,808 per week | £209,550,000 per year
4. Bayern Munich | £4,383,525 per week | £227,943,319 per year
3. Barcelona | £4,517,675 per week | £234,919,014 per year
2. Real Madrid | £4,720,444 per week | £245,463,113 per year
- Paris Saint-Germain | £6,828,790 per week | £355,097,100 per year
Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Lorient - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - April 3, 2022 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring their fourth goal with Neymar REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier
United's wage bill is enormous - but it's still nothing compared to PSG, who sit top of the pile by a considerable distance.
That's what happens when you have Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar in one team. But even then, just over £6.8m-per-week in wages is still obscene from the French champions.
Unsurprisingly, the Premier League has the most representatives in the top 20 with nine and that's part of the reason why footballers are so desperate to play in England these days.
United certainly need a few quality ones to be eager to represent them before the end of the summer transfer window...