Erik ten Hag missed out on the perfect Manchester United midfielder and the Glazers are to blame

As Darwin Nunez somehow conspired to hit the post, after doing all the hard work amazingly by leaving a centre-back and goalkeeper for dead, with an open goal at his mercy, everyone else was either splitting their sides laughing or stunned into motionless disbelief.

The comical miss mattered not as Ryan Gravenberch seized the loose ball and fired into the back of the net. It tipped off a fine performance from the Dutchman who is growing in confidence with every game under a manager who believes in him. Something he could - perhaps even should - be doing at Manchester United.

Erik ten Hag wanted to further strengthen his midfield this past summer. Though Casemiro and Christian Eriksen had formed a partnership that transformed the club's fortunes, whenever one was unavailable the drop in performances was stark. With both in their 30s, it was necessary to recruit quality competition for places.

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As the Brazilian's drop-off this season has shown, it was a pertinent line of thinking and United considered some intriguing targets. In the end, it was Chelsea's Mason Mount who was first to arrive in a deal which could reach £60m and Sofyan Amrabat was finally secured on deadline day.

But even though United got what they wanted in the end, the feeling that they may have missed out lingered like a worrying thought that seeps down your spine and dominates your thoughts. Did I lock the front door? Did we just make a mistake in not signing Gravenberch for £35m?

Usually, the answer to such a question is: "No, you forgetful sausage!" But in this instance, no going back to check the door handle