It is fair to say Manchester United shocked the world with the extent of their transfer business in the summer window, attracting three huge global stars to a club that hasn't won a trophy in over four years.
After a season in which 'progress' was a decisive buzzword, it is huge testament to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's long-term vision for the club that Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo all decided to move to Manchester. Persuading free agent Tom Heaton wasn't quite as challenging.
For Sancho, the chance of redemption in the Premier League was always too good to turn down, while Ronaldo made it abundantly clear he wanted a new challenge after becoming unsettled at Juventus.
However, there is argument to suggest Varane was the hardest player to convince, having being promised the captain's armband had he stayed at Real Madrid rather than seeking a new challenge in English football.
Real Madrid is arguably the only club in world football bigger than United, though after such a seismic summer the power might well have shifted back to England's must historic club.
Summer signings Ronaldo and Varane are best positioned to give an answer on that one, though they aren't the only two players at Old Trafford who have swapped Madrid for Manchester over the past year.
He might not be a name many United fans know, but teenage defender Alvaro Fernandez is already looking like one player who could soon be considered for senior involvement.
Fernandez, 18, joined United a year ago after himself rejecting a new deal at Real Madrid and instead favouring the challenge of English football in his fledgling career.
The young left-back enjoyed an encouraging debut season at the club, netting against Burnley on his U18s debut before quickly being promoted to the U23 set-up afterwards.
He finished the campaign with five assists in 20 appearances for Neil Wood's side, an impressive haul considering he was also sidelined by Covid-19 in the winter months.
After regaining his fitness he returned to form with four assists in four games for the U23s and has started the new season in further encouraging style.
Two weeks ago he scored a stunning goal at Stamford Bridge as the U23s drew 1-1 with Chelsea, which he followed up with a goal against Man City, while on Wednesday he started for a senior side in a behind-closed-doors friendly defeat against Stoke City.
Fernandez is being noticed by Solskjaer, though his path to the first-team is understandably muddied by senior stars Luke Shaw and Alex Telles in front of him.
The view from United's youth coaches is that Fernandez still has a lot of work to do if he is to ever make it at a top level, particularly within his positioning, but his goal at Chelsea was clear evidence of the attacking threat which he constantly poses from out wide.
With age on his side Fernandez could well be a long-term success story at United, but even in the short-term he has every right to be eyeing up a senior debut in the year ahead.
In order to do so he will need luck as much as skill, though after representing the 'first-team' at Old Trafford in midweek there is clearly reason for him to dream.
The signings of Ronaldo and Varane have already vindicated his gamble last year.
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