When Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox convened in Iceland for a fishing trip back in July it was not lost on them that Manchester United would have to spend their way out of their problems.
Money would be tight. Ratcliffe made that clear previously.
But the margins between success and failure were even tighter and with only Matheus Cunha through the door at that stage, Ratcliffe and Co knew they would need to roll very expensive dice a couple more times.
A £62.5million move for Cunha was followed by a £71m capture of Bryan Mbeumo, a £73.7m swoop for Benjamin Sesko and, despite starting the season with Altay Bayindir, another £18.1m was dropped on goalkeeper Senne Lammens on Deadline Day.
Only Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle United spent more. All four have Champions League riches to fall back on. United took a big swing and are now ahead of three of these sides nine games in.
So, for Ratcliffe to be sat alongside Berrada and Wilcox on Saturday evening at Old Trafford with a big grin on his face was to see a man vindicated for that summer swing.
Bryan Mbeumo is proving a bargain after a brace against Brighton made him Man United’s top scorer this season
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) saw all of United’s summer signings impress during a third straight win
Five of United’s last seven goals during their three-match winning run have been scored by Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko.
Mbeumo, the club’s top scorer, believes the £206m trio are getting better and better, music to the ears of Ratcliffe and the rest of the shotcallers.
‘It hasn’t been easy,’ Mbeumo said.
‘Obviously, coming in this environment, a big club, big expectations, it’s not very easy to handle. But with the team-mates, everyone was helping me.
‘Everyone was helping the new players and I think that was very important to us.
‘I always try to aim big in everything I do. I try to not set limits on myself, on what I can reach. I’m just going to work and try to do as best as possible.’
There has been a concerted effort back at their Carrington training base to foster partnerships between the trio and, after a rocky start, it has clicked into place at just the right time.
Cunha, the last of the trio to score since joining, shared a joke with Mbeumo and Sesko pre-match that he was feeling left out.
‘I joked with Bryan [Mbeumo] and [Benjamin] Sesko, I told them ‘I need to have this feeling [scoring],’ he explained.
Matheus Cunha (right) and Mbeumo (middle) have increased the physicality of this United side
‘I felt so anxious to be a part of this and when I scored they said ‘look you can enjoy it now.’ All the day the support for my team-mates, I feel so good to be part of this.’
There is a synergy to Manchester United’s attacking play this season, no longer the blunt force that was so toothless en-route to a 15th place finish last term.
Raising the physical floor with Premier League proven players was Amorim’s biggest request during transfer briefings and the performances of Mbeumo and Cunha in particular have underlined just why that was such a shrewd play.
‘He’s a working machine,’ Amorim said of Mbeumo.
‘He’s so good in transitions. He’s improving when we are organising the final third. The connection with Amad is really hard to beat these two guys because they change positions, they are really fast, they are good in one against one.’
On Cunha, it is his work without the ball that is impressing his manager more than what he does with it.
‘I think you can feel that,’ Amorim added. ‘I think everyone felt that against Liverpool. He feels more confident if the game is harder, he feels more confident, he wants the responsibility.
‘I really like the way he defends. He was not jumping all the time. He was not jumping and then returning to position without the right pace. Today he defended really well and when he has the ball it’s not my concern.’
As Ratcliffe headed out of the directors’ box with United 4-2 winners and spending a night in the top four of the Premier League for the first time in 436 days, he no doubt left with a feeling of money well spent.
