Manchester United were linked with a whole manner of names during the summer as the transfer window descended into silly season.
It betrayed United's growing desperation to get quality bodies in through the door after it became abundantly clear that they were needed following the two opening defeats. So many players were being linked it was hard to see which ones would eventually arrive at Old Trafford.
With United actually looking to sign Marko Arnatuovic it made any other name tenuously touted hard to dismiss right out of hand, regardless of how ludicrous or far-fetched. It would have been easy for United to give into the chaos, to make tired, old mistakes and spend a lot of money just for the sake of it.
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That's not to say United didn't spend a lot of money. Not in the slightest. The club's spending is now over £1billion since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and an outlay of £216.3million was splashed out in the summer. But at least this time, when it could have been panic stations, United kept their heads and invested smartly.
Following the early season crisis, Erik ten Hag finally gave up on Frenkie de Jong and United at long last signed the defensive midfielder they've been desperately lacking for so long in the vastly experienced Casemiro. £63m for a 30-year-old who has spent the last decade in one of the world's best teams is certainly risky but there aren't many better in his role on the planet.
Though he didn't get De Jong, Ten Hag did at least get his top attacking target in Antony. It was touch and go with Ajax doing all they could to keep hold of the exciting winger but eventually a massive initial £85m was just too good to turn down for a player who clearly wanted the move.
United could have abandoned their chase for Antony when the going got tough but stuck by their manager's wishes and managed to bring him in. One possible alternative heavily linked was Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix but, as the man himself recently admitted, that never transpired into real interest.
When asked by Marca about reports that linking him to United, Felix replied: “I didn't hear anything, that was something for the president to deal with. I am here.”
There's no doubt that Felix is an immensely talented footballer but United did the right thing in not turning any possible interest into something concrete. First off, the apparent price of £113m would have been beyond the pale even for United when there are other positions that still need attention once the window opens again.
But more importantly, Felix just isn't the player that United need. The 22-year-old has played the vast majority of his 116 games for Atletico as a second striker, playing in the hole behind the main man and offering him support. United don't play with a central attacker in such close proximity to the striker. The closest thing they do have to that is Bruno Fernandes, who plays a bit deeper to be involved in build-up play.
To add to that, Fernandes remains near-undroppable. He is slowly returning to his best under Ten Hag but is also becoming a real leader on the pitch after taking the armband upon Harry Maguire's recent dropping to the bench. Bringing in Felix would likely have meant that either he or Fernandes would have been playing in a less effective position, making it a pointless endeavour.
Felix is capable of being the main centre-forward but it isn't his best role and with just 29 goals in the last three years he isn't the prolific goal scorer that United will need to spend significantly on in the next year. With Cristiano Ronaldo likely to leave upon the expiration of his contract and the jury still out on Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, a new striker will be a big priority but Felix doesn't score enough to justify the expenditure.
The Portuguese has only rarely played on the flanks, usually on the left, but United are extremely well stocked on that flank which is why Antony was targeted instead. Felix is a great player, who could go on to be one of the best, but United did well not to be tempted to sign him.
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