Richard Arnold hoping De Jong deal leads his first United transfer window

’Tis that part of the season again. Not post season or pre season, or the festive slog through Boxing Day and beyond. Neither, too, the cool days of spring when the title race hots up. No, it is the season of Manchester United in the summer transfer market when domestic football’s favourite soap opera headlines the silly season and copious players are linked, targeted, lost, found, sold, signed and er … not signed.

The last is already forming the narrative for some of Richard Arnold’s great 2022 Who Will United Land? show. This is the 52-year-old’s first window as the club’s chief executive and to listen and read the hysteria from pundits and supporters, he has to acquire Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi and the next Diego Maradona or his tenure will crash and burn before takeoff.

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There is, though, real pressure to have a successful window. Starting with Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong, then a forward – Ajax’s Antony, possibly – and, maybe, a defender after Jurrien Timber turned down the chance to join Erik ten Haag in moving from Amsterdam to Manchester, the 21-year-old’s decision based on his desire to ensure he keeps his place in the Netherlands’ squad with a World Cup looming.

Across town, Manchester City have secured Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund and, slightly further afield, Liverpool have recruited Darwin Núñez from Benfica (not to mention Fabio Carvalho from Fulham and Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen). Ten Haag wanted Núñez too and as Haaland is world football’s emerging superstar centre-forward, United fans see the Premier League’s pre-eminent forces and their two fiercest rivals already strengthening while their club is drawing a