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.
