Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud van Nistelrooy had arrived with Champions League glory in mind. The pair had cost a shade under a combined £50million as Sir Alex Ferguson sought to reinvent his Manchester United side to conquer Europe.
The 2001 transfer window saw United set about trying to build from a position of strength. They had been crowned champions of England for the third straight season but had fallen to eventual winners Bayern Munich in Europe.
As was often the case under Ferguson, he sought to solve problems before they existed. He felt United needed a creative force in midfield, particularly on the continent, and pounced for Veron in a then club-record £28million move.
The Argentina international's arrival followed that of Van Nistelrooy as the curtain fell on the treble-winning strike pair of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke.