Matheus Cunha signs his Manchester United contract.
Matheus Cunha is Manchester United's latest recruit.
After spending £81.3million on Antony in September 2022 and an initial £64m on Rasmus Hojlund 11 months later, Manchester United know what it's like to get stung in the transfer market.
United spent the entirety of the 2022 summer transfer window chasing Antony's tail, confident that a reunion with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford would fix their long-term right-wing problems.
Having never once stepped foot in one of Europe's top five leagues, the fee United paid Ajax to bring Antony to England was nothing short of astronomical. United had been reluctant to meet Ajax's demands for much of the summer.
Less than three years later, United have made Antony one of three players they want to sell as a priority this summer. They need to bank £32.5m for him to avoid a loss under the profit and sustainability [PSR] regulations.
Antony will go down as one of the Premier League's greatest flops. Perhaps the greatest. No club wants to be associated with that particular tag.
The addition of Antony, likewise Hojlund the following summer, is a prime example of just how reckless United have been in their spending in recent years. They have had their pants pulled down far too often, sometimes through sheer desperation to get a deal over the line.
Both Ajax and Atalanta must not have been able to believe their luck when United agreed to such big-money deals to sign two raw and unproven attackers. Chelsea, too, must have been rubbing their hands together when they pocketed an initial fee of £55m for Mason Mount with just one year remaining on his contract in July 2023.
Recruitment failings have been a massive contributor to United's decline. Too many deals have been conducted without football specialists or recruitment gurus overseeing them.
However, under Ineos' leadership, United have offered signs of encouragement on the recruitment front. Although last summer's recruitment was not perfect, it was certainly better than what had been served up in previous years.
Noussair Mazraoui has turned out to be a bargain buy. (Image: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images.)
Noussair Mazraoui arrived for a bargain base fee of just £12.8m and Leny Yoro, who is widely regarded as one of the most promising centre-backs in world football, was drafted in with the ambition of making him a mainstay in United's defence for years to come.
With a sensible recruitment strategy in place, United will believe they are on the right track in their quest to achieve 'Project 150' in 2028 and win both the Premier League and the Women's Super League.
Having laid the foundations and offered an insight into how they plan to recruit under Ineos' stewardship last summer, United are trying to raise the bar again this summer. Matheus Cunha has already arrived from Wolves for £62.5m and United hope Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo will be the next arrival.
United want to move at speed this summer to get the squad in as good a position as possible ahead of the start of the 2025/26 season, and the addition of Cunha so early on in the window is a reflection of their ambitions.
Just days after confirming they had reached an agreement with Wolves to sign Cunha, United saw a £55m offer turned down for Mbeumo. Yes, the offer fell short of Brentford's valuation, but it once again highlighted how keen the club is to get on with rebuilding the squad this summer.
As hungry as United are for new additions, they need to ensure they find the right balance between moving at speed and not paying over the odds and repeating mistakes of yesteryear.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) and Omar Berrada are overseeing a shift in the club's recruitment strategy. (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images.)
"We're going to do our best to do more signings quickly," chief executive Omar Berrada recently told United We Stand.
"Sometimes when you're not quick, it's because you're negotiating and you're trying to make sure you get the right value for money. So being efficient or quick isn't necessarily the best thing for the club."
Every club dreams of getting deals done quickly. It is every coach's dream to have the bulk of his business done in time for the start of pre-season.
That, however, is a dream that rarely becomes a reality. Nevertheless, United are actively working to get new signings through the door.
As commendable as that particular element is, United also deserve recognition for trying to distance themselves from mistakes of the past. They understand and embrace the hunger for signings, but they are not prepared to have their pants pulled down again.