Manchester United’s capture of Donny van de Beek “came out of the blue”, says Wes Brown, but the Dutch midfielder is considered to be an “excellent” addition to a squad generating plenty of excitement ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has snapped up another creative playmaker in a £35 million ($46m) deal with Ajax.
Other targets had appeared to be figuring more prominently on the recruitment radar at Old Trafford – such as Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho – but a notable capture has been completed.