Joshua Zirkzee has already told Manchester United supporters what to expect from him

The first signing of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era may be typical of what to expect from Manchester United this summer - buying into potential.

It becomes a pattern when considering the interest in 21-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite, 18-year-old Leny Yoro and 23-year-old Joshua Zirkzee. Even Matthijs de Ligt does not turn 25 until next month.

It’s also notable that three of the four players exempt from sales this summer - Rasmus Hojlund, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho - are all under the age of 21. This, then, does make the pending sale of Willy Kambwala slightly puzzling given his solid showings in his debut season.

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However, United’s tight financial position means more headspace within spending rules needs to be created, and Kambwala is expected to make a tidy profit. The fragility within Premier League constraints means United will not be signing one singular big marquee name this window.

Zirkzee has only scored 14 goals in 58 games over the past two seasons but United will fork out around £38m for his arrival in the hope that he will push Hojlund on to reach his own full potential.

The Dutchman is of a similar physique to Hojlund, albeit perhaps more mature when it comes to playing dynamically. “I’m not a pure centre-forward,” he told Italian media back in February.

“I said a year ago that I liked playing with an attacking partner. But [ex-Bologna boss Thiago] Motta transformed me into a nine-and-a-half [role]. I’m not a [Marko] Arnautovic type, I like to come forward after playing the ball and help the team. And score goals.”

Hojlund has so far shown to be more of