Gary Neville laid bare Manchester United's current shortcomings when he told them to take a leaf out of Liverpool's book as they look to rebuild under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
'Manchester United somehow have got to find a spine. All championship winning teams have strong spines,' he said.
'Liverpool's spine has come from [Virgil] Van Dijk at £75million, [Roberto] Firmino's £30m, Alisson, a fantastic goalkeeper, and Fabinho. The recruitment has got to be good to support these players.'
For much of this century it's been Liverpool who have needed to close the gap on Sir Alex Ferguson's United juggernaut.
Now under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool are setting the pace in at home and in Europe.
But how did Klopp rebuild Liverpool and how can Solskjaer follow suit as United look to return to the top table of European football?
Give new signings time to fit in
'Liverpool bought (Virgil) Van Dijk, Fabinho and Alisson and they were transformed overnight,' Neville claimed on Monday night. A nice line, but patently not true.
Van Dijk and Alisson were thrust straight into the Liverpool side but it's easy to forget just how long it took Fabinho to secure his position at the base of the Liverpool midfield.
Like Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain before him, Fabinho was kept out of the limelight for much of his first few months at Anfield as he bedded in and learned Klopp's style. People questioned Klopp's decision to pay £44million as the Brazilian sat out their first eight league games last season. It was only after Christmas that he became a permanent fixture in their starting XI.
Last summer, United also signed a Brazilian holding midfielder for big money in Fred. He started six of United's first 11 league games last season. Now after failing to impress, he can hardly get a game. Fred may simply not be good enough, but was he given the best chance to succeed?
Look beyond the first XI
Jurgen Klopp has been accused of being too slow to make substitutions while in charge of Liverpool. It's not like he lacks options on the bench.
Klopp has built a phenomenal squad at Liverpool, with competition for places in key areas. Yes, the front three rarely changes. But at the back Klopp has Joe Gomez and Dejan Lovren fighting to regain their place.
In midfield he rotates the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Gini Wijnaldum, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita (when fit).
Toward the end of last season's Champions League run, it paid off as Divock Origi came to the fore following injuries to Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah.
United, meanwhile, have left themselves short in midfield and attack. It's all very well clearing out the deadwood but Solskjaer now has to turn his attention to forming a squad that can cope with a few injuries. Was Daniel James really signed to start immediately?
Create stars, don't always buy them
Neville is right to emphasise the transformative effect Van Dijk and Alisson have had at Anfield.
In the context of Liverpool's recent signings, however, they rather stick out.
Yes, Klopp has spent big since taking over. But he has often also targeted players a notch below the top level. His genius has been in turning them into stars.
Salah, Sadio Mane, Wijnaldum, Andy Robertson - who expected any of those to lead Liverpool to Champions League glory?
The likes of Firmino and Henderson were already at Anfield but have improved immensely on his watch.
By contrast Ed Woodward has spent big on a number of marquee names in recent seasons -
Angel Di Maria, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and Harry Maguire. They also missed out on Paulo Dybala.
Some of these have been commercial cash cows, but how many of United's squad have improved since arriving at Old Trafford? A better player is a better player, wherever they come from.
Find help from elsewhere
The appointment of Michael Edwards as Liverpool's sporting director was met with derision in some quarters.
But since he was appointed - with Klopp's blessing - in November 2016, the Reds have gone from strength to strength.
With a background in analytics and football operations, he has been key in the Reds' fine recent record in the transfer window.
Ed Woodward, on the other hand, has struggled to help his managers build the squad they need.
His willingness to pay big, big money has seen other sides dig in to secure premiums.
And their tendency not to work on multiple deals at once has hampered their progress. He has long been in the hunt for a director of football - but even then, the names linked have simply been a raft of club legends.
Find a style of play to suit your players - and the league
When Klopp first arrived in England, he promised heavy metal football. His side were rabid, hunting in packs as they pressed furiously to win the ball back.
In the past few years, however, the German has adjusted his philosophy to great effect.
Liverpool's pressing is still suffocating - but more measured - and now it's with the ball that his side do a lot of the damage. They dominate possession and in Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold they have turned their full-backs into key attacking weapons.
At United, Solskjaer is building a side that can be devastating on the break.
The likes of Pobga, Marcus Rashford, James and Anthony Martial can hurt any defence. But they're a little one-dimensional and opponents are stifling them by sitting deep. If Solskjaer is to succeed at Old Trafford he needs to develop a philosophy that works for all seasons - and find the players to make it flourish.
Look for value wherever
Solskjaer's plan over the summer was clear: buy young British players.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Maguire and James have all made good starts to life at Old Trafford. But they all came at a hefty price, too.
It's a noble philosophy and one which will likely curry favour among the Old Trafford faithful.
There seems no such common thread among Liverpool's recent signings, however.
Well, bar one: will this player improve our squad? It's why they paid big money for Van Dijk and Allison. But why they have snapped up players of all nationalities, from all around Europe, for varying amounts of money. And why this summer they barely bought anyone.
Why limit yourself when there is value to be found in all corners?
