It's the problem that just won't go away: the void in the middle of Manchester United's midfield. It makes the Watford Gap look insignificant, the craters on the moon appear inconsequential and the recent photos of a black hole in space seem lacking in magnificence. Ander Herrera had started to fill it, but now he has fractured a rib. What now for Louis van Gaal?
Eleven is a number familiar to those connected with football. This month, it is the number of squad players unavailable to United manager Van Gaal through injury. With Herrera's rib added to the pile of ailments at Old Trafford, it is time for the new manager to improvise. He will find this particularly galling as the Spaniard was fast becoming the first name on the team sheet.
Although Herrera attracted fewer plaudits than fellow newcomers Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, he had quietly made one heck of a start. Goals are not the reason he was pried from Athletic Bilbao for his 28.8 million pound release fee over the summer, but they have come as a welcome bonus. In his first four competitive starts for United, Herrera has netted twice.
To put that into context, his two goals in four starts equal the number scored by Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley combined since 2012. Herrera offers something that United have not had for several years: a midfielder with a goal-scoring touch.
The ability to arrive at the edge of the box on time is not something to understate. A certain Mr. Scholes made a reasonable career out of doing just that. A look across town at Manchester City and Frank Lampard's renaissance also provides ample argument for the value of a central man with a cutting edge.
Alas, that fractured rib ensures that the 20-time English champions will now be struggling in midfield as well as defence. Most United fans never expected the thought, "I wish we'd kept Tom Cleverley," to cross their minds, but he was unfairly maligned last season and this is exactly the kind of situation he would be required in.
As things stand, Darren Fletcher will be asked to play a huge role over the following weeks, as will Daley Blind. Already Van Gaal is backed into a position of fire fighting when that 153 million pound summer outlay should have provided him with a formidable team.
The Dutchman is obviously not impressed with the number of injuries United are carrying. Regular readers of this column will recall an annual lamentation of United's treatment practices. At last, the new manager seems to be doing something about it.
Perhaps the biggest decision of the week was to force the hand of some of his fitness coaches with regard to their England commitments. Tony Strudwick and Rod Thornley have, until now, shared their backroom responsibilities between United and England. Now they are required to focus solely on United to try to get them out of this mess.
Arsenal are also experiencing an injury crisis, and it is worth noting that one of their trainers is also involved with England. Three Lions physio Gary Lewin even managed to injure himself during the World Cup while celebrating a Daniel Sturridge goal, but too much can be read into these things.
If, and it must be counted as an if, United can record their first victory over Everton since Sir Alex Ferguson was manager, then the medical department can enjoy two weeks of breathing space while the players go on international duty.
Upon their return, they will face West Brom and then the all-crushing league leader Chelsea.
Quite how United are supposed to tackle Cesc Fabregas, John Obi Mikel and Nemanja Matic is anybody's guess, but pulling those kinds of rabbits out of hats is what Van Gaal was hired for in the first place.
While there is a hope that Herrera may return after the international break, it seems rather optimistic. Rib breaks tend to take at least six weeks to heal.
All of this makes the replacement of Wayne Rooney with Juan Mata this weekend seem like small potatoes in comparison. The conventional wisdom is that with Robin van Persie and Falcao up front, United have at least one area of the team amply covered.
It is a relief, then, that neither of them has a history with knee injuries -- except that they do. In the meantime, those two men will need to provide the goals that keep United afloat in the league. Their job would have been much easier had Herrera been around, but that midfield void remains in place, for the time being at least.