Of an otherwise brilliant first transfer window under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United's only major blemish last summer came in failing to convince Frenkie de Jong of a move to Old Trafford.
Ten Hag was keen on signing his Dutch compatriot from the moment he arrived in Manchester, intent on addling a world-class No.8 to his ranks as early as possible. United and Barcelona had agreed a €65million (£56.14m) fee as far back as July, but a combination of problems blocked the move from developing any further.
As significant a factor as any was the money owed to De Jong in deferred wages, and that was often cited as the source of any delay. But it is also true that the midfielder did not want to leave the Nou Camp, as he admitted last September.
Read more: Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United transfer targets are 'keen' to join club
United are preparing for another summer of investment, with Ten Hag no doubt keen for his side to make their mark in the Champions League - should they qualify. But to improve the quality of his squad he of course must attract the best players possible.
For De Jong, the pull wasn't there and that has been the case all too often in recent years. A team struggling to find its identity or present any long-term plan will not attract players with the ambition to compete for major honours. Fortunately for United, Ten Hag has instilled both this season.
"I see a big difference in comparison with last year," the Reds boss admitted earlier this week. "There were a lot of reservations last year when I spoke with players and now many players see the project, what's going on, the dynamic and the ambition in this project, the quality especially. They are really keen to come, I've noticed that.
"It looks like there were a lot of reservations last year, a lot of doubts when we approached players. This year, many quality players really want to come."
The United of yesteryear had their pick of players, the pull of a regular title challenge and European football enough to convince the vast majority of their targets that Old Trafford was the place to be.
That pull has weakened in recent seasons, with Champions League football not guaranteed and genuine title challenges a distant memory. But in that sense, the club aren't in a wholly dissimilar position. They could feasibly not finish in the top four and are some way off both Manchester City and Arsenal, despite some premature talk of a challenge earlier this year.
What has changed is the sense of order and of ambition under Ten Hag, the sense that this is a project and it is actually going somewhere. That will convince world-class players to come to Old Trafford, and those players can help push the club to the next level.
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