Why Man United's £85 million summer window may be a blessing in disguise

The Red Devils, under Michael Carrick, have so far limited their summer arrivals Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa for a combined £85m.

Wales goalkeeper Karl Darlow has also arrived on a free transfer from Leeds, to provide cover for first-choice Senne Lammens.

That is a clear step down from the big, almost directionless spending of previous windows, and many supporters have grown restless with INEOS’ reluctance to splash the cash.

There were obvious holes to fill coming into this summer window.

The midfield was already a problem area, and Casemiro’s departure, followed by Manuel Ugarte’s long-term injury made the situation even more desperate.

The left-back position has been a lingering problem for the best part of a decade, with Luke Shaw hardly ever fit, and mostly inconsistent. However, INEOS have chose to keep things modest, and avoid the temptation to chase big signings.

While United will certainly be better off signing a new left-back, and a third, more dynamic midfielder, perhaps doing nothing is better than making the wrong moves.

Last summer, Liverpool spent over €480 million, breaking the British transfer record twice to sign Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, only to finish fifth and sack their manager at the end of the season.

Isak managed just two goals in six league starts before a fractured fibula ruled him out for several months, while Wirtz struggled to adapt and other signings like Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez offered very little.

For a club like Manchester United, known, at least, over the past decade for paying inflated fees for players who fail to perform, this may be a step in the right direction.

In most cases, the weight of a hefty price tag may be too much for new player to handle, especially at Old Trafford.

Santos and Tielemans have arrived to fill obvious holes, and in Tielemans' case, he may very well be the steal of the summer, as Chelsea legend Mikel Obi pointed out.

Besides, Marcus Rashford is back, and if his head is right, should offer even more invention down United's left-flank, giving Carrick an option he didn't have last season.

There are still three weeks until the window closes and further additions remain possible, but after years of expensive mistakes, a slow summer might be just what United need.