Man Utd have taken smart lesson from Man City thanks to Omar Berrada, the impact is already on show

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Summer 2024 has been a far cry from previous transfer windows at Manchester United as Ineos make their mark.

Transfer business at Manchester United has long been underwhelming, prolonged and overly expensive.

This became the norm under the leadership of Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold, with deals like Antony for £80m and Harry Maguire for a similar figure long being rued by fans.

Even a deal like Mason Mount for £55m was a bit of a rip-off considering his contract situation, injuries and the fact he would have been free this summer.

However, with the arrival of Ineos, proper football experts and smart decision-makers are now in charge. This has seen United adopt a policy similar to Man City in the market, with the one common factor being Omar Berrada – the man Gary Neville tipped to bring excellence to Old Trafford.

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Berrada has brought smart decisions from City to Old Trafford

While praising Man City is not something we do too willingly, but when it comes to recruitment the cross-city rivals have nailed it.

In the years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, United have wasted hundreds of millions on players who have cost more than they should have – meanwhile, City tend to rarely miss on their signings.

This is primarily due to how City have a soft limit on signings which sees them rarely go too far north of £60m – instead signing lots of these level players rather than one or two £80m players, it is really smart business.

So this summer’s transfer dealings reflecting this can only be a good thing for United and we are sure that Berrada has played a key role in bringing it to Old Trafford.

Berrada’s impact has already been seen in the move for Leny Yoro.

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Manchester United have already adopted this smart recruitment policy

While we have not yet borne the fruits of this policy from United, the early signs are certainly encouraging.

We have seen United sign four players so far this summer, with all of them costing less than £60m, compared with previous years where negotiations have seen United overpay.

• Leny Yoro – £52m
• Matthijs de Ligt – £38m
• Joshua Zirkzee – £36m
• Noussair Mazraoui – £12m

The four arrivals are really smart additions and are excellent value for money, with the quality and potential quality far exceeding what United paid.

We can only dread to think how much this quartet could have cost in previous years.

Long may this continue, and hopefully it will lead to similar levels of success that City have had in recent years.