Manchester United's next summer signing is already at a disadvantage

Time was always going to be of the essence for Manchester United this summer. With the new Premier League season starting this weekend, it has hardly felt like football ever went away, and a chaotic campaign awaits as sides prepare for a condensed fixture schedule.

These restraints are what led United to the official appointment of Erik ten Hag back in April, weeks before the last season ended, as they looked to hit the ground-running under their new boss.

Ten Hag arrived in England as soon as possible to get to work, effectively switching his focus to United from the second he clinched the Eredivisie title with Ajax. Recruitment meetings were held, players were consulted, and a pre-season plan was meticulously drawn up to best prepare for the new campaign.

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The new United manager scrutinised every minor detail that he had authority over, but there was always going to be a number of mitigating factors that remained out of his control. Players involved in international duty were given an extended break, which pushed back their return date to training, and securing new signings was never going to be as straightforward as video games make it seem.

Tyrell Malacia was the only player signed before the club embarked on their pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia, and it shows based on his performances so far. The Dutch full-back was set to start the season as back-up to Luke Shaw, but after a productive summer, he could be a surprise starter against Brighton this weekend.

Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez didn't make the pre-season tour proper, though, and have been playing catch-up since. They only met their new teammates last week, and