Erik ten Hag is going back on his word with Manchester United transfer policy change
It is true that a broken clock is correct twice a day, and Manchester United are hoping that the signings of Marko Arnautovic and Adrien Rabiot might be able to alter a transfer policy that has been broken for almost a decade now.
A key reason why United were eager to appoint Erik ten Hag back in April was so that they would hit the ground running in the summer transfer window, but that hasn't really gone according to plan.
They are still working on a deal to try and bring Frenkie de Jong to the club and have signed three players to bolster their first-team squad, though none of them has exactly been a coup. Tyrell Malacia was poised to join Lyon before United intervened; Christian Eriksen was a free agent; and Lisandro Martinez, an Ajax player who idolises mentor Ten Hag and was eager to make the move to the Premier League.
READ MORE: United agree fee for Adrien Rabiot but face task of negotiating with his mother
And so, after an opening weekend humiliation at the hands of Brighton, they are back to the drawing board again, this time clawing through the bargain buckets and reduced aisles of footballing talent in search of their next two signings.
Ten Hag warned last week that United would not move for just anyone in the summer window, reiterating that it was better to sign nobody than to sign the wrong player before deadline day. Then it is hypocrisy to chase the divisive duo.
There can be no disputing the fact that United are short on options and in need of extra quality in their squad, but there is no long-term plan in signing a 33-year-old forward and a midfielder who Juventus have struggled to shift all summer.
Rabiot certainly has some redeeming features in that he featured 45 times for the Turin club last season,