A year ago Manchester United jetted off on their first pre-season tour under Erik ten Hag with only one new face in the travelling squad, a serviceable back-up left-back but not someone who was a game-changer for the commercial or footballing department.
Tyrell Malacia was a solid enough signing and has proved to be a reliable player, but of all the permanent arrivals last summer, he was the most low-key, aside from being Ten Hag's first. He didn't have the crowds in a frenzy in Bangkok, Melbourne or Perth and for a squad looking for assistance, he was only ever going to be a start.
The window ended up a success, but vital acclimatisation time to system, style and teammates was lost for Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, who signed in time for the start of the season but had limited training time, and for Casemiro and Antony, who arrived after the first ball had been kicked.
Every manager ideally wants his players in early for pre-season, but it's often easier said than done. In 2021 Jadon Sancho was the only new signing before the season started, with Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo joining later.
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But this summer, things are beginning to look more positive for United. In a window that has been described as "complicated" by one club official due to the restrictions being felt as a result of financial fair play measures and a need to sell players to raise funds, business is being done pretty promptly.
Mason Mount has signed for an initial £55million and has been training with his new teammates from the first day of pre-season and there is hope more new additions will be in place for the pre-season tour of the USA, which begins on July 20. Perhaps even earlier than that.
There is growing confidence a deal for Andre Onana will get done and talks are also being held over Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund. Football director John Murtough is making the most of the geographical proximity between Milan and Bergamo to try and progress both of those deals at the same time.
Onana's early arrival would be significant, given it's going to signal a major change in United's style of play. Ten Hag tried to introduce a more concerted effort to build from the back a year ago, but had to compromise with David de Gea in goal.
Onana, who played 145 games for Ten Hag at Ajax, is a natural for this approach but it will take time for the defenders and midfielders to become comfortable with it. They will need to get used to the slower build-up, develop confidence in their goalkeeper and understand the patterns of play around their own box that can lull an opponent in and allow United to break through a press.
Hojlund will also need time to settle into a club as grand as United. The 20-year-old has had one season at Atalanta, having previously been at FC Copenhagen and Sturm Graz. None of those experiences will prepare him for the glare of the Old Trafford spotlight, especially if he is to lead the line next season.
So there are myriad reasons to bring these players in early, from simple footballing reasons to personal advantages that will be gained by being at the club for several weeks before the season starts. Spending two weeks in America with new teammates and working under new coaches will be hugely beneficial.
There is still work to do to achieve that, but if United do have a new goalkeeper, midfielder and striker on the flight to New York then it will have to go down as one of their most impressive windows of recent memory, at least on early viewing. It's easy to forget now, but there was plenty of scepticism when Murtough was appointed football director in March 2021, but gradually he is winning doubters over.
Murtough, a friendly face when seen around the club, prefers to work in the shadows, unlike some of his contemporaries who chase the limelight to extol their own virtues and methods. He was a continuity candidate when fans were understandably attracted to the big-name directors of football who have publicly sold their own credentials.
United's decision to go with Murtough is starting to be vindicated, however. He won more admirers with the forceful way he dealt with Chelsea to do a deal for Mount and is now working hard to tie up moves for Onana and Hojlund. He was on the ground last summer as well and although his trip to Barcelona failed to end up with Frenkie de Jong coming back with him, his stop-off in Amsterdam did land Lisandro Martinez.
The pressure will never be off Murtough. Ten Hag is a manager who is demanding of his recruitment specialists, although he developed a close relationship with Marc Overmars at Ajax. So far the signs suggest he is on the same page as Murtough.
There might be more to do in this window. Sales are absolutely vital and that is Murtough's brief as well. Trading players out and finding replacements within the same price bracket will be a challenge. But most importantly for Ten Hag, it looks like the priority incomings won't have to wait for the outgoings.
Maybe that will lead to a more assured start this season. It's hard to know just how much of last season's disappointing beginning was down to the slow pace of deals, or just the difficulties of a new manager imposing a new style. But having Casemiro in earlier would certainly have been beneficial.
Come Monday, August 14, and the first day of next season, United will certainly be better prepared than they were a year ago and Murtough will probably deserve some of the credit for it.
