There's a degree of what might have been for James Garner at Manchester United as the academy graduate closes in on a permanent departure from the club.
The 21-year-old was set for an opportunity to prove his credentials for Old Trafford in pre-season, but the knock he picked up on the first day of the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia came at the most inopportune moment.
It restricted Garner's time to impress Erik ten Hag in a condensed training environment and he managed just 23 minutes of football on tour, in the final friendly against Aston Villa at a time when conditions had affected the quality of the game in Perth.
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He managed 77 minutes in what was basically a B-team midfield against Rayo Vallecano but at that moment his chance had slipped away. United's £70million deal for Casemiro only increased the competition and it was clear Garner wasn't going to make his way into Ten Hag's first team plans.
There is some disappointment amongst supporters that the academy graduate isn't going to get his chance and that the club are sanctioning a sale rather than another loan, but this is the type of decision United haven't made often enough in recent years.
For Garner, it had to be this season or bust at United. He is now 21 and another loan is unlikely to do much to alter his first-team opportunities at the club. Once Ten Hag had decided he wasn't going to feature this season, a permanent departure suited all parties.
The excitement around Garner stemmed from his hugely successful loan spell with Nottingham Forest last season and it's clear he has earned a chance in the Premier League. But United are set to bring in around £15million for a player who has played just nine minutes in that competition.
In a summer when the club have again failed to raise significant revenues from departures, recouping £15million for an academy graduate who - at the moment - is good, but not quite good enough, has to be considered good business.
So far Andreas Pereira (£10million) is the only player to leave the club for a fee. Alex Telles and Eric Bailly have gone on loan, interest in Aaron Wan-Bissaka could go to deadline day and Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe are likely to stay put.
In a window when United have spent £225million, bringing in some fees is vital and in Garner they have a sellable asset who isn't quite at the level to get in the team.
This is exactly the kind of approach to academies that Manchester City and Liverpool have taken in recent years. Plenty of players will be of a standard to play in the Premier League without quite being good enough for the top six and raising funds by selling them is a key weapon in the transfer market.
Those two clubs have again made use of that strategy this season. Liverpool made £18million by selling Neco Williams to Nottingham Forest and Manchester City raised more than £22million in sanctioning deals for Gavin Bazunu and Romeo Lavia to join Southampton.
For United, the £15million they are set to receive for Garner is the most for an academy graduate since selling Danny Welbeck to Arsenal for £16million in 2014.
At the moment there is clearly more kudos involved with coming through the system at City or Liverpool, but United's academy continues to produce players and it should remain a source of transfer funds as well as potential first-teamers.
The deal for Garner might come with a tinge of regret, but it's the kind of transfer United should be looking to achieve more often than they do at the moment.
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