Wind the clock back just under three weeks and the idea of Manchester United sitting fifth in the Premier League on the night the transfer window closed, while pleased with the business they’ve done, would have seemed almost impossible.
The wreckage of two successive defeats to start the season and the prospect of a trolley dash around Europe featuring the likes of Adrien Rabiot and Marko Arnautovic put the mood amongst the Old Trafford faithful at its lowest ebb for years.
But somehow the situation has been salvaged. United have signed Casemiro and Antony since then, two quality additions that make you question why they ever looked at Rabiot and Arnautovic, and three successive victories have put the prospect of Champions League qualification firmly back on the table.
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A transfer window that’s produced a spend of £225million has ticked more boxes for United and Erik ten Hag, but if there is one concern it is where the goals come from, especially if Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be sidelined by Ten Hag.
The 37-year-old hasn’t managed to force his way out of Old Trafford this summer but his chances of regular football at United aren’t guaranteed. This was a third successive start on the bench, although his cameo in the East Midlands was much more encouraging than the struggles he endured at St Mary’s on Saturday.
United have climbed the table with four goals in three games and while their defending against Liverpool, Southampton and Leicester City has been committed and aggressive, they still need to produce more in the final third.
The first half at the King Power Stadium brought their most fluent 45 minutes yet under Ten Hag, but for all the slick football and clever movement, it didn’t produce a hatful of chances. While that remains a work in progress it puts a premium on the opportunities that do arrive.
Marcus Rashford has started up front twice in a week without building on his performance against Liverpool and for all Anthony Martial’s promise in pre-season, he has seven goals in his last 60 games.
So United need to make sure this is a collective effort when it comes to goalscoring, which is why the early season form of Jadon Sancho will be so pleasing.
The 22-year-old looked like being a long-term fixture on the right in pre-season, but the £85.5million addition of Antony will see him move back to the left, where he has started recently.
It was running in from that position that produced his second goal of the campaign, taken with as much class and composure as his first.
He turned Liverpool's defence inside and out to finish at Old Trafford a week-and-a-half ago and when he latched on to Marcus Rashford's pass at the King Power Stadium his thinking and execution under pressure were perfect.
Sancho was running at speed onto the pass but he used that to take one forceful first touch and race around Danny Ward before calmly slotting the ball into an empty net.
There were just five goals in 38 games for United last season and that is a tally that has to improve this term. When Antony and Sancho are starting United will have wingers they've spent more than £160million on and for that sort of money both need to provide a goal threat. There is evidence of just that from Sancho.
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