Manchester United have an obvious target date to complete key signings

It's that time of year when the admin on the Manchester United Twitter account must be tempted to turn off replies and have a day or two off.

Every tweet currently evokes demands to 'Announce De Jong' or a hail of abuse at the club's lack of transfer activity so far. As winning the transfer market becomes as important as winning the actual football it's a pretty common theme at this time of year for every club.

But United's travails of the previous nine years make them more susceptible than most to the panic of supporters who see targets slipping away. Fans of Liverpool and Manchester City have become accustomed to having faith in the deal makers at Anfield at the Etihad, but the same can't be said at Old Trafford.

READ MORE: Ten Hag knows De Jong success would rely on another United signing

Nine years of waste have led to a lack of trust in the people pulling the strings at United. Money has been squandered, targets have been missed and the net result of around £1billion has been an FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League. So when supporters see Manchester City signing Erling Haaland, Liverpool closing in on Darwin Nunez and even Tottenham signing Ivan Perisic, they fear the worst.

The reality is the transfer window has been open for five days and the season only ended for many players with this week's final round of Nations League games. Every manager wants players through the door as early as possible and Erik ten Hag will be desperate for the same, but there is also an acceptance that these deals can take time.

Paying Barcelona's asking price for Frenkie de Jong might get the deal done this week, but it would also set a precedent that this a club willing to pay up and, perhaps more crucially this summer, leave little