Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needed to make the January transfer window count.
Manchester United were falling behind in the race for a Champions League spot, and his job was very much on the line.
The Norwegian went for broke and parted with £47million to snap up Bruno Fernandes, tying the Portugal international down to five and a half years for good measure.
And it seems the huge outlay and contractual promise to pay his hefty wages for half a decade has paid off almost immediately.
Fernandes has hit the ground running at Old Trafford, and has been solely responsible for a huge upturn in form.
United are yet to lose a match when the Portuguese has been on the pitch, and were well on their way to finishing in the top four before the coronavirus pandemic brought the season to a standstill.
But there is more to the Fernandes deal than meets the eye.
The transfer offers an insight into United's plan for Solskjaer amid claims ex-Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino could replace him at the end of the season.
As reported by Andy Mitten in GQ Magazine, Solskjaer took money for Man United's summer budget to pay for Fernandes in January.
This took place before the coronavirus pandemic, and tells us, simply, that Ed Woodward is backing the Norwegian as he considers the budget Solskjaer's to spend.
If Woodward had plans to replace the Norwegian in the summer he wouldn't have let him spend money another manager could have splashed in another area.
