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.
