Manchester United have developed a knack for drawing out their transfer business.
Last summer, the arrivals of Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo were announced late into the summer window. Jadon Sancho's deal was finally announced following a lengthy period of speculation, something Rio Ferdinand believes has to change.
Speaking on FIVE back in September 2020, the former United centre-back said: "The difference in the way Chelsea have done their business compared to say my team Man United, there is no noise, there's nothing going on.
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"All you're seeing [from Chelsea] is bang. Deal. Little bit of talk, bang. Deal. Get it done. That is what's frustrating for me and all the Man United fans. Sancho was talked about months ago. Still not done, it's so frustrating."
Of course, the slow and steady approach can work wonders for a football club, however, let's face it, it has not worked out brilliantly so far for United. They cannot afford, especially at such a key moment for the club, to dawdle when bringing in players.
Already we have seen Tottenham Hotspur bring in Ivan Perisic and Manchester City all but secure the services of Erling Haaland. Arsenal, meanwhile, have identified their main target, Gabriel Jesus, and are working hard to complete that move sooner rather than later.
This comes as a result of plans being made well before the season was over. United did not have this luxury due to Erik ten Hag's arrival only being announced in April.
It would be fair to assume that United and Ten Hag had ideas before the end of the season of who they wanted to sign but no real decisions could have been made due to the Dutchman's full focus being on Ajax. This might not have been so bad if it was not for the fact that a huge rebuild is needed this summer.
A goalkeeper, centre-back, right-back, central midfielders and strikers are all likely to be on Ten Hag's shopping list and he has just two months to find them. In fairness, the signs suggest United are looking to get business done sooner than in recent years.
Frenkie de Jong, Jurrien Timber and Darwin Nunez are all strongly linked with a move to the north west. However, United are no longer that golden ticket destination they once were.
It has been reported that both De Jong and Timber have their reservations about moving to Old Trafford and this will likely scupper the opportunity to get business done quickly. But United's first signing will remain key in this window and will set the tone for the rest of their business.
If they could manage to secure Nunez, who is reportedly set to leave Benfica, that should help persuade the likes of Timber and De Jong to make the jump too. The sooner these deals are done, however, the better it will be for United's chances next season.
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