“We have to get recruitment right; it’s an essential part of modern football,” Sir Jim Ratcliffe said in an interview about his appointment as co-owner of Manchester United earlier this year.
“I would rather sign the next Kylian Mbappe than spend a fortune buying success,” Ratcliffe added. “It’s not very smart to buy Mbappe. Anyone can figure that out. What’s even harder is finding the next Mbappe or the next Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane.”
Ratcliffe provided a fascinating insight into his approach to football operations and it could well be that United have landed a number of unfinished gems this summer transfer window.
In addition to Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraou and Manuel Ugarte, they have also signed Sekou Kone (18 years old) and Chido Obi-Martin (16 years old). This gives a taste of what future transfer windows with Ineos could look like.
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All seven of these players come from different corners of the world, but there is one thing they all have in common: they all have their best years ahead of them.
United have a reputation for signing players who are past their prime and while it will take time to change that attitude, positive steps have been taken over the summer.
The first signing to arrive was Joshua Zirkzee. Rasmus Hojlund almost single-handedly carried the burden of scoring goals for United last season and signing a striker was a priority, leading to talks with Bologna over the possibility of signing Zirkzee.
The former Bayern Munich youngster had a €40 million buyout clause in his contract with Bologna, but United agreed to pay an extra €2.5 million so they could spread the payments over three years.
The buyout fee would be paid in one go and Zirkzee made a good start by recouping his £36.5m (€42.5m) price tag when he scored on his debut against Fulham.
Zirkzee became the sixth Dutchman to score on his debut for United at Old Trafford, after Jordi Cruijff, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie, Alexander Buttner and Donny van de Beek.
The goal extended United’s Premier League opening day record – they have won more opening games than any other team – and it was a relief for Zirkzee.
“I mean yeah, first game, first goal, it’s always a relief to get that off your shoulders, but it goes on,” he explained. “I saw the replay of my goal and it didn’t look too bad.”
The second signing was Leny Yoro, who was acquired from Lille for €62 million plus €8 million in add-ons. The club’s scouts, the new football structure and Erik ten Hag agreed that Yoro would be an excellent addition and several meetings were held with the player to convince him to sign.
“Leny is one of the most exciting young defenders in world football and has all the qualities required to develop into a top class central defender,” said sporting director Dan Ashworth.
“After such an excellent start to his career, we are delighted to be able to support him in achieving his immense potential here at Manchester United.
“This club has a fantastic track record of developing young players, whether home-grown or from elsewhere, and giving them the guidance, time and patience they need to grow and flourish.”
Yoro’s qualities were already evident during his first appearance of the pre-season against Rangers, but disaster struck in the first match of the US tour when he broke his metatarsal bone.
While Yoro’s injury is seen as a major setback, sources at the club see his absence as an opportunity to acclimatise to life in Manchester and get used to his new surroundings, an approach Sir Alex Ferguson has taken with new players who have been injured.
The 18-year-old, who was on crutches when he was introduced to the crowd at Old Trafford, underwent surgery to correct the problem and is expected to return to action in November.
United fans are eagerly awaiting Yoro’s return, but they didn’t have to wait long to see Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in the flesh after their moves from Bayern Munich.
United signed De Ligt for €45m (£38.4m) with a potential further €5m (£4.2m) in add-ons, while Mazraoui was brought in for €15m (£12.8m) with a potential €5m (£4.2m) in add-ons. The latter started against Fulham on the opening day with De Ligt coming off the bench.
United’s new CEO Omar Berrada, sporting director Ashworth and Ten Hag agreed that De Ligt and Mazraoui would be strong additions and that was key to both deals, which see the pair join from Germany for a combined starting fee of €60m.
Sources at the club believe the arrival of the duo from Bayern was completed at a fair market value and have stressed that United have had to keep their budget disciplined this summer.
United have tried to negotiate in a disciplined manner this summer to secure the best possible deal, and that approach has finally paid off, with a breakthrough signing of Ugarte.
There was always a desire to strengthen Ten Hag’s midfielders this summer and Ugarte was signed on the closing date for €50m (£42.3m), with a further €10m (£8.5m) in additional contracts.
United did not want to agree to the fixed price PSG were asking for, namely €60 million (£50.6 million), and believe the deal shows their patient approach during negotiations has worked.
Ugarte, who joined PSG from Sporting Lisbon in 2023, will compete with Casemiro for United’s starting midfield position but is unavailable for selection this weekend.
The 23-year-old had to register with the Premier League by 12:00 on Friday, but that deadline has passed, meaning he will not be available for the match against Liverpool at Old Trafford.
Now that Ugarte’s move has been confirmed, a source at the club said they have signed five players with a mix of youth and experience but all of whom still have their best years ahead of them – the term was used again – and that they feel they have significantly strengthened the squad this summer.
In addition to the first-team recruitment drive, the arrival of Sekou Kone was confirmed on Friday and United believe the youngster has the potential to join the first-team.
United paid just over £1million for Kone, who they first scouted in November during the Under-17 World Cup in Indonesia, when his country Mali beat Argentina to finish third.
Kone is seen by United as a player with great potential. Although he will initially be linked to the youth system, he will also train with the first team at Carrington. This means he could be promoted quickly if he can perform at the required level.
The midfielder could be the ‘new Mbappe’ that Ratcliffe talked about and Obi-Martin, a prolific young striker signed from Arsenal, has similar potential.
Obi-Martin’s transfer still needs to be approved, but that is not expected to be a problem. United’s academy chief Nick Cox and academy head of recruitment Luke Fedorenko were behind the deal and the move is seen as a significant coup.
United fans will be impressed with the new signings coming in this summer. There has also been great progress in selling unwanted players, with several players being sold on permanent contracts.
Donny van de Beek, Mason Greenwood, Willy Kambwala, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Facundo Pellistri, Will Fish, Scott McTominay, Hannibal Mejbri and Jadon Sancho have been sold for a transfer fee (subject to the latter’s season-long loan move to Chelsea with a purchase obligation being completed).
United have been proactive in the sales market and for the first time have included high sell-on fees and buy-back options in the majority of their sales. While including favourable clauses seems logical, they have been absent from Old Trafford until this summer transfer window.
By including a transfer fee in deals for clubs such as Greenwood, Kambwala, Pellistri, Fish and Hannibal, United can receive money based on their future success.
That’s incredibly useful in the era of profit and sustainability (PSR) rules and should give United some breathing room in future windows.
The sale of McTominay was crucial in this window, as the sale of an academy graduate represents a ‘total profit’ on the books. United received a fixed fee of €30.5m (£25.7m) for McTominay and added a 10 per cent sell-on clause to the deal for the midfielder, but Ten Hag admitted at his press conference on Friday that he had mixed feelings about his departure.
“It’s a bit mixed,” Ten Hag said. “I’m very happy for him, it’s mixed for us too, because I wouldn’t want to lose him, because he’s Man United in every way.
“He was so important to our team, he was at Manchester United for more than 22 years. But unfortunately, it’s the rules. You have to discuss the rules to sell and of course home-grown players, youth players, bring more value.
“It’s not the right way to act, but for everyone, for all parties, it’s a good deal. For Scott, he’s happy with it. Of course, for Napoli, a very good player, but also for us.”
Ten Hag told reporters in Manchester after the second pre-season friendly of the summer that he was keen to keep McTominay, who scored 10 goals last season. Napoli could not refuse the offer, however, and he was welcomed to Naples by hundreds of fans.
United have effectively swapped McTominay for Ugarte and that is an upgrade. They have upgraded their entire squad this summer and will be pleased with their business.
They will be even happier if the ‘next Mbappe’ is signed in this window.