The first permanent transfer window of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United reign was framed as the beginning of a 'cultural reset' for the club and the three new signings fitted the profile of player they wanted.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James and Harry Maguire were all British, under 26 and hungry for their chance at an elite club, ready to embrace the step up from Crystal Palace, Swansea City and Leicester City respectively.
Two years on Wan-Bissaka has been solid, James remains value but with a long-term role unclear and after a difficult beginning Maguire has become a leader and a rock at the back. You'd say the summer of 2019 was a pretty successful window for Solskjaer and United.
But the problem with espousing the values of a club DNA or a 'cultural reset' is that when you step away from that path it can raise questions. Quietly, United's desire to stick to those principles has at least been flexed, if not shelved.
It was the signing of then 33-year-old free agent Edinson Cavani last October that bought most criticism on United, given the faith they had previously placed in signing players under the age of 28 as part of their recruitment reboot.
In reality, Cavani was a shrewd signing, an accomplished goalscorer, still fit enough to compete at the sharp end of Europe's toughest league and with his hunger undiminished. He also sharpened the winning mentality in the dressing room.
That last point initially led United off the path of building a mostly British squad. To be fair, the core of this group remain domestic players, whether through transfer market dealings or academy success stories. But what the group lacked after the summer of 2019 were players with a track record of winning trophies. Buying British wasn't going to furnish the United squad with the collective mindset required to change recent history.
So in came Bruno Fernandes, Donny van de Beek, Alex Telles and Cavani. The first three fit the age profile but what they all had was a trophy-winning experience, even if it had been accrued in leagues where success is easier to come by.
Now United's recruitment strategy looks to be operating in a sweet spot. British players are great, but they usually come at a premium and the best are often already held by their rivals. Jadon Sancho ticks every box for the club at £72.9million and Jude Bellingham was an obvious target a year ago.
But United are continuing to be flexible in their pursuit of a title-winning team. Raphael Varane is a sensible target given his undoubted quality, the experience he can bring to the club and his contract situation. The same can also be said of Eduardo Camavinga, a United target in central midfield.
The 19-year-old is one of the hottest prospects in Europe and again has just a year left on his contract at Rennes. He is a sensible, shrewd target for United.
This is now United's third summer transfer window of the Solskjaer era and it's started well with the deal for Sancho. Add in Varane and, potentially, Camavinga and it could be the best yet. It's also a clear sign that transfer strategy has evolved from 2019 and right now United are getting their targets just right.
