Jonathan Wilson: Injuries hurting, but Man Utd failed to address its most pressing needs

"I asked for a sofa, and they bought me a lamp shade."

Rafa Benitez's 2004 departure from Valencia -- after a dispute with sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch -- brought one of the great expressions of managerial frustration. On Monday, in its 1-0 Premier League season-opening defeat at Everton, Manchester United was left wandering around looking for somewhere to sit down and seeing only covers for light bulbs. Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa are excellent players. That is not in dispute. The question is whether they are the players United needed.