A week has now passed since the summer transfer window drew to a close, and it was certainly a busy one for Manchester United. There were a number of incomings in addition to a wrath of players departing as the rebuild under the new Erik ten Hag regime got underway.
It was a window that commenced with impatience simmering within the fanbase as names were thrown about within the media without any moves actually being made. Meanwhile, other clubs that United should be competing with were wrapping up a number of statement deals early on, suggesting that they had undergone greater planning in advance of the window opening.
But a number of hierarchal changes at United offered a possible caveat. Once United finally announced their first signing, Tyrell Malacia, in early July, with the acquisitions of Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez confirmed in the couple of subsequent weeks, there was a sense that a benefit of the doubt could be offered to the club. It appeared that there was an active attempt not to just take any opportunity to sign any of a plethora of players mentioned and even offered to the club, instead waiting until the right opportunity arose.
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Malacia was picked up from Feyenoord for a respectable fee of only £13.5million, and he has since briskly adapted to playing under Ten Hag, keeping Luke Shaw out of the side at present. He is suited to attacking, also able to invert - both of which the manager admires. Additionally, he is combative, committed to making challenges and showing an energy that has sometimes lacked in United sides of late. Comparisons have already been drawn to Patrice Evra and the price tag so far appears an absolute bargain.
Meanwhile, signing Eriksen for free was an opportune piece of business given his known calibre as a player. He has already shown an ability to add an air of calm to the midfield, bringing play-making quality as well as excellent technical prowess in general. Contrary to concerns, his fitness hasn't proven any sort of an issue - he has displayed a commitment to running and offers a hardworking presence in midfield.
Despite initial concerns voiced by some with regards to his rather diminutive stature, the signing of Martinez has also proven a success thus far. He has shown that aggression and will more than compensates for the fact that he isn't the tallest of centre-backs, with his desire resonating among the squad. As well as being defensively secure, Martinez has also shown he is a technically sound left-footed centre-back, which is a profile of player that Ten Hag sees as integral given that the creation of better passing angles enhances ball progression.
No doubt, the aforementioned first three signings of the summer have all turned out to be shrewd pieces of business so far. But there are still concerns as to the manner in which they were acquired. Opportunism isn't the best strategy, and that was certainly the case with Malacia, who United signed when it became clear that he was on the verge of moving elsewhere, and Eriksen (of course on a free transfer). Even Martinez didn't appear a primary target, but United shifted their focus to him when it became clear that Ajax were less willing to offload Jurrien Timber.
The feeling is definitely that United are taking opportunities - albeit the right ones rather than just any opportunity as has been the case recently - rather than rigorously planning. This grew more apparent as time ticked on towards the start of the season, with United not making any significant strides in the transfer market.
Ten Hag would, no doubt, have wanted his squad more or less completed by the start of pre-season, but Malacia was the only new face to embark on travels to Thailand and Australia given United's slow start to the window. And by the time the season commenced, when other, better-run clubs had already completed the major parts of their transfer business, United were left with reinforcements still required.
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The summer-long pursuit of Frenkie de Jong at Ten Hag's request displayed backing of the manager, but it seemed that the club never drew up viable alternatives to De Jong. It was clear that alarm bells started to ring following United's opening day defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion when panic started to appear, with Adrien Rabiot - along with ageing, controversial striker Marko Arnautovic as a forward option - was linked to the club.
United finally moved on from Rabiot after his wage requests were deemed excessive, which was a relief to many given questions over the player's attitude as well as pedigree - hardly a premium holding midfield option. Interest in Rabiot became all the more mystifying as links to Real Madrid's Casemiro started to emerge.
The board had been given a wake-up call by United fans' outrage at links to the underwhelming, puzzling likes of Rabiot and Arnautovic. But, in reality, it shouldn't take poor results and backlash from supporters for action to be taken.
Still to this day, it draws up confusion as to why the club were seemingly hiding funds. Rabiot would have likely costed no more than £20million, but the club proved able to spend around £60million on a world-class player by way of Casemiro in the same position.
Although, even with the signing of a player of Casemiro's prestige, a lack of defined strategy was evident. All summer, the pursuit of De Jong hinted at Ten Hag's preference for a play-making, ball-oriented holding midfielder, yet Casemiro is renowned as a 'destroyer'.
None of this is to downplay the acquisition of Casemiro, mind. United have long been crying out for an established defensive midfielder, and Casemiro is an astronomic upgrade on other personnel that have operated in that role for the club. His defensive acumen allows protection for the defence while also unlocking other players to allow them to excel; factor in his leadership credentials too and there is definitely scope for Casemiro to enhance the entire team. He is also perfectly adept in possession, even if not a specialist like De Jong.
Plus, while there have been arguments that Casemiro has predominantly joined United for a wage increase, there is no doubting his hunger and desire to try a new challenge. After all, he has five Champions Leagues to his name from his time in Madrid (experience that will be invaluable).
United ultimately spent too long fixating on De Jong throughout the summer, even if the failure to complete a move was completely out of United's hands. The priority target for the summer was always a holding midfielder, therefore the fact that United had to wait for gameweek four before they had one available for selection was damning.
The ultimate move for Casemiro, even while it is an excellent signing, emphasises that United are behind the curve in terms of recruitment. One factor in Casemiro's departure from Real Madrid was due to playing time being threatened by the summer signing of young French midfielder, Aurelien Tchouameni. Though this isn't a reflection of Casemiro being in any sort of decline, it is simply a display of a progressive club with a view towards the future. Currently, United are more often than not taking the safer option of signing 'the replaced' rather than those replacing them.
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United spent big on Casemiro, especially relative to the fact that he is into his thirties and nearer the end of his peak days in the game. But United's sudden willingness to spend big was an indictment of their desperation to get deals across the line. Late business ultimately led to overpaying - a lesson that should be learned from.
This point only grows more prominent when you consider the fact that a fee in the region of £85million was spent in the closing week of the window in order to complete a deal with Ajax for Antony. Neither Antony nor Casemiro are exactly worth the fees that United paid in the current stage of their respective careers. But such a late window scurry backed United into a corner.
This is not to undermine the signing of Antony, though. He is a player with bags of confidence and someone guaranteed to entertain, as he showed in his debut against Arsenal. He constantly looks to be involved and is excellent at finding the right areas, offering creativity and, as shown against Arsenal, a threat in front of goal.
Aside from De Jong, it would seem that Antony was Ten Hag's priority purchase. At least the spending does imply a will to back the manager. Maybe it took some persuasion, but the budget was ultimately around double what it was initially set out as.
In some ways though, the backing has almost been too excessive. It is a concern that United have signed so many players very familiar to Ten Hag, suggesting that too much onus is being placed on the manager; this is far from a good reflection on the scouting department, who are supposed to draw up their own targets.
Malacia played against Ten Hag's Ajax in the Eredivisie, while Martinez and Antony both played under Ten Hag in Amsterdam. It also remains to be seen whether United would have pursued Eriksen so intensively if he wasn't so familiar to Ten Hag after training with Ajax as he worked towards returning to football earlier this year.
Casemiro is an exception to the trend, but he is a name that holds prestige in the game rather than being a particularly shrewd, long-term prospect that points towards any sort of genius from the transfer department.
Of course these players will likely still hold value to the club and have sizeable impacts. But there is clear evidence that the current strategy is not overly sustainable.
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In terms of reinforcing areas flagged as being of need, United have done a good enough job overall. They eventually signed a holding midfielder (even if not the desired profile), a left-footed right-winger was bought to grant Ten Hag's wish of having inverted wingers on both flanks, and an additional centre-back was also purchased.
Right-back seemed a more pressing area for addressing than left-back, though Diogo Dalot has come into his own there and, for now, Malacia has proven a positive addition given that he presently has a starting spot nailed down after his rapid adjustment to the English game. Better competition for Dalot may be necessary in the long run given Aaron Wan-Bissaka's possessional shortcomings saw him viewed surplus to requirements for most of the summer, but it was ultimately too late to target a replacement.
A long-term ball-playing central midfielder is still something the club may need, but Eriksen is excelling in the 'free eight' role right now. Failure to make an addition there is no disaster, especially given that the likes of Fred and Donny van de Beek may also be able to partner Casemiro or a revitalised Scott McTominay in midfield.
United's depth is looking in better stead on the whole - not just in midfield. They now also have four experienced, first-team proven centre-back options, a pair of right-backs that have proven themselves over time, and two left-backs that are more than able to feature.
And depth in attacking areas is even greater than it has been. Antony, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford are now all high echelon wide options, with the youthful likes of Anthony Elanga and Alejandro Garnacho waiting in the wings and Anthony Martial also able to operate there. Rashford can also operate as a striker as he has already shown within Ten Hag's fluid attack this season, with Cristiano Ronaldo, who seems at peace with staying despite pushing for an exit, and Martial also central options.
There do remain arguments that better competition is required for David De Gea from a goalkeeper more adept to ball-playing, but the loan acquisition of Premier League proven Martin Dubravka from Newcastle at least provides viable back-up for the season. This is another case of being slightly unalert in the market, with Nick Pope, who took the number one spot from Dubravka at Newcastle, available earlier in the summer.
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This depth has been achieved by United even having offloaded a number of players, with enough personnel to mostly compensate for the players that left the club. In terms of more regular squad players, the loss of Eric Bailly is not hugely impactful due to the amount of centre-backs still at the club, with Malacia seemingly more up to the task at left-back than Alex Telles had been.
Both Bailly and Telles departing on loan once again shows an inability to shift players on permanently where necessary. United have done a good enough job at refreshing the squad, though five of those that left the club permanently were allowed to run their contracts down and leave for free - the reason why loans should be avoided where possible. While profit is, of course, unlikely to be made at a club of United's stature, their transfer system isn't profitable enough at the moment.
All in all, there were only a couple of positive permanent outgoings. United did well to gain a fee of around £8million for Andreas Pereira, for whom it was the right time for more continuity to be established in his career after several loans (and he is doing well at Fulham). Also after a number of loan moves, Tahith Chong, while only for a fee of around £1.5million in the first instance, has been shifted onwards for at least some financial gain, which is ultimately better than a loan move and ultimate departure for free.
The biggest fee for an outgoing player was £15million, which was the price that it took for Everton to sign James Garner. From the outside, from a United standpoint, it is a move that makes little sense, especially given that United are still somewhat in need of extra midfield quality. Garner showed potential as a standout player on loan at Nottingham Forest last season as they made it to the Premier League through the play-offs in the Championship, so a Premier League loan seemed logical as a next step.
But reports have suggested that the decision to offload Garner was sanctioned by Ten Hag. The manager's judgement has to be respected, though it is possibly an incorrect decision that no buy-back option and only a sell-on clause has been included in Garner's contract.
There have still be some positive dealings with younger prospects. Championship loan moves for Alvaro Fernandez (Preston North End), Hannibal (Birmingham City) and Amad (Sunderland) should offer valuable senior English football experience.
With Dean Henderson, the situation is slightly different to that of fellow more established loan movers Bailly and Telles. There is still a possibility that an opportunity could arise for Henderson next season if can prove himself over the course of the season at Forest, especially given De Gea's deficiencies in aspects such as ball-playing and positioning.
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It is fair to say that Ten Hag's squad rebuild was never going to take only a single summer. United have made good initial strides though, with additions made in a majority of pressing areas. And, significantly, they have brought in good characters that have contributed to developing a greater sense of togetherness within the group.
There are, however, definite questions over the transfer strategy moving forward. Not to downplay the quality of signings made, but United blatantly ended up spending more money than they needed to. A better, earlier use of money could have meant there was scope for further additions due to more of the eventual budget left. Horizons will also have to be widened and the transfer department will have to become more active and rely less on manager in future windows.
But, overall, there has been a promising clear out and a refreshed feel to squad has developed. While final business was left late, Ten Hag does now have the resources at his disposal to work towards developing his squad across his first season in charge.
And, as more windows pass by, Ten Hag will likely get more and more required reinforcements if he continues to be backed in the same vein.
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