Erik ten Hag's ruthless edge was evident again last month when he sanctioned the sale of Zidane Iqbal to FC Utrecht.
News of Iqbal's departure came almost from nowhere, with sources telling the Manchester Evening News a fortnight ago that a fee, believed to be around €1million, had been accepted. He completed his medical in the following days and that was that.
The 20-year-old impressed during pre-season last summer and was kept on while others left on loan, but a failure to break into Ten Hag's plans - he was named on the bench 17 times but did not make a single first-team appearance - did little to aid his development.