Jamie Carragher has been proven right about Manchester United's massive 'panic buy'

If you were to ask any Manchester United supporter what they remember most vividly about the 2022 summer transfer window, it is likely they would reference a deal that failed to come to fruition.

Ahead of Erik ten Hag's first season in charge at Old Trafford, the Dutchman made it his mission to be reunited with fellow countryman Frenkie de Jong. He was installed as the Reds' top midfield target ahead of the transfer window officially opening.

The Barcelona ace worked with Ten Hag at Ajax and the latter was keen to be reunited with him in M16. The United boss sounded him out as the ideal candidate to provide the Reds with the ball-playing expertise he wanted in midfield.

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But try as United might, a 100-day-plus pursuit did not result in Ten Hag securing his top midfield target, forcing the club to look elsewhere. Despite the differences in profiles of the players, United turned to Casemiro, signing him from Real Madrid for an initial fee of £60million.

As much as United needed a world-class destroyer, their decision to change tact and identify Casemiro as their primary midfield target after their hopes of signing De Jong failed was somewhat rash. They knew they had to act after losing their opening two Premier League games to Brighton & Hove Albion (2-1) and Brentford (4-0) respectively.

At the time, based on those two performances, signing Casemiro made sense. United knew he would add a much-needed defensive presence to their midfield and he soon made his mark on proceedings, becoming a key figure in Ten Hag's new-look team.

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