Manchester United's summer transfer window of 2022 was marred by missing out on signings.
Erik ten Hag was fully aware of the challenge which was ahead of him when he took charge of United but, in a World Cup year, this proved to make things even harder. Jurrien Timber was the prime example of this.
It is understood United wanted to sign Timber before eventually making the move for Lisandro Martinez. At the time, 'The Butcher''s Ajax teammate was wary of making the switch to Manchester, in part due to conversations with Netherlands head coach Louis van Gaal.
Van Gaal fairly pointed out the 21-year-old may not be guaranteed a place in United's starting XI and questioned whether then would have been the right time to move. Timber later insisted the former Reds boss backed him to get a place in Ten Hag's team but clearly the uncertainty around the club at this time was a warning.
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Fast forward 12 months and Timber is again being linked with a move away from the Johan Cruyff Arena and this time he seems keen to explore his options. In his latest interview with Vandaag Inside, he said: "Will I stay with Ajax anyway? I’m not sure, I can’t say that.
"I'm not in talks with Ajax now. My agent had a good talk a few times, but it's not like we're talking about anything right now."
His decision to potentially postpone the move by a year could ultimately have been Timber's best decision. Previously, Ten Hag praised the Ajax man but offered a slight word of warning.
"He will not immediately be the leader of the Ajax first team, but he dares to speak out immediately and has not been shy in the dressing room," the Dutch coach explained. "Those are important qualities to get far."
Had Timber signed last season, the pressure would have been on the youngster to be a leader in a dressing room which was severely low in confidence. However, this is no longer as big a problem as it once was.
Bruno Fernandes has grown into a role of responsibility while the additions of Casemiro and Martinez have added proven leadership to the squad. This means Timber would be allowed the time to develop his game further without fear of needing to be the answer to the Reds' problems off the pitch as well as on it.
While it did not seem like it at the time, this could work out ideally for both United and Timber.
A Manchester Evening News special souvenir edition - Fergie's First - charts United's 1992/93 title-winning campaign and you can get your hands on one here
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