Ineos have put a focus on signing younger players at Man United and they have seven members of a first XI that could still be key players in three or four years.
Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko
Senne Lammens and Benjamin Sesko could both be key players at Old Trafford for years to come
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Look at the Manchester United side that Michael Carrick has been picking in recent weeks and there is still plenty of experience dotted about. In Luke Shaw (30), Bruno Fernandes (31), Harry Maguire (33) and Casemiro (34), there are players with know-how in the team, as well as having nearly 30 years combined at Old Trafford.
But there are the first signs of a new United beginning to emerge this season and the acceleration into a team future-proofed to still be delivering in three or four years time, and maybe even in a new Old Trafford when it is finally built, is likely to continue this summer.
For all the experience in that quartet, potential stars of the future are being added in. You could make a case for United having seven players in their first-team squad who could all be regulars still in 2028 or 2029.
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In goal, 23-year-old Senne Lammens looks like a No. 1 for the next decade. Ayden Heaven, 19, and Leny Yoro, 20, have struck up a close friendship off the pitch and will fancy their chances of forming a strong partnership on it over the next few years.
The reintegration of 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo and the long-term contract he is set to sign have dispelled any doubts about his future, and he can be a key part of the next great United team, as its homegrown hero.
There are options in attack. Amad is only 23 and although he needs to add more end product to his game, he has time on his side to do just that. Benjamin Sesko has had a good first season and at 22, he will expect to become the starting No. 9 as early as next season.
United should also still be able to rely on 26-year-olds Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha for a while yet. Mbeumo could revert to right-wing if Sesko makes the centre-forward role his own, and Cunha might see himself as Fernandes' eventual successor.
That arguably just leaves four positions that need a long-term plan and three of them could be addressed this summer. United don't have a natural successor to Shaw, but will target a younger left-back in the window, while they will also be in the market for a left-winger, with Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford set to follow Alejandro Garnacho in leaving the club permanently.
The priority will be a long-term replacement for Casemiro, with Elliot Anderson seen as the ideal target, although they will face competition from Manchester City. United have looked at numerous midfield options and the signing of a new No. 6 is seen as a vital bit of business this summer.
The last position that might need some planning is right-back. For now, United have Diogo Dalot, 27, and Noussair Mazraoui, 28, but neither look likely to be considered a long-term option. The summer transfer budget might not stretch to a right-back as well, but it could well be a focus of the 2027 window as club chiefs look to plan ahead and make sure they have succession plans in place, and a squad that can stand the rest of time at Old Trafford.