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Football, like life, is full of ‘crossroads’ moments. What if Sir Alex Ferguson had succeeded in bringing David Hirst from Hillsborough to Old Trafford in 1992? Eric Cantona wouldn't have arrived for a start.

And had United signed Cesc Fabregas or Ander Herrera last summer, it's implausible that Juan Mata would now be at the club. United's obsession with northern Spanish midfielders finally paid off. While some highly influential figures at Barcelona were happy to sell Fabregas last year, the sporting department at the club weren't. In Bilbao, they didn't need to sell Herrera. What were they going to do with the money when they can only recruit Basques? United were also alerted to Andres Iniesta in October and while very interested, felt the player's agent was using them as a bargaining chip ahead of one big final contract.

Had Jose Mourinho not taken over at Stamford Bridge, would Mata now be looking for apartments in Manchester?

Mata's £37.1m signing has lifted the mood at Old Trafford. And how it needed it after the dreadful form of the team. The purchase showed that United are willing to spend big on players, something Ed Woodward maintained but some fans doubted. It has helped David Moyes too, by showing that he can attract top players.

Mata's profile is perfect. Unlike Herrera, he's proven in the Premier League. Mata's 25, four years younger than Iniesta. He's of a similar standing to Fabregas, a fine, versatile, footballer full of goals and assists with the right men around him. There's a lot of pressure on him to excel, but he's bright enough to deal with it. This is a man who, when he arrived in London, would spend his free time visiting museums. And unlike several of United's native Spanish speakers, he picked up English quickly. United increasingly look at a footballer's background. Herrera was a popular option because he was from a professional football family and speaks English.

Mata joins a United squad which isn't united. Moyes is doing things his way and he has the backing from above. Like Sir Alex Ferguson, he's been bestowed absolute power and not every player likes the change, especially those who were happier under Ferguson. Things have changed, as they do when a new boss comes in. Is that any different from normal life? Had you asked United's senior players six months in Ferguson's reign whether they thought he was the right man to take the club forward then you would have got more no's than yes's. But Ferguson made the difficult decisions, even when it went completely against the grain of popular sentiment. Selling Norman Whiteside and Paul McGrath was deeply unpopular in 1989, just as selling Mark Hughes, Andrei Kanchelskis and Paul Ince was in 1995. Ferguson was correct on all counts.

In dressing room parlance, several players are 'not doing it' for their new manager. Not in training nor in games. Their positive statements in public contrast with what they think in private.

Some are senior players who've enjoyed significant influence which is now denied by a new manager who does things his way – in training, tactics and man management. And that's the way it will be in the future, even if it means huge names leaving. It's a risky strategy, but it's a Ferguson strategy of having total control. He knows United's history after Busby and doesn't want a repeat.

In aiming for control, Moyes is being true to himself and he'll live or die by those decisions. Get things right and he'll be a hero, fail and he'll be a flop. Moyes needs talent, money and good fortune. Even then, it's a huge job for one man.

He hopes to bring in one more player in the January transfer window, but, unlike Mata, the players United are chasing are largely happy at their clubs. The summer is the time to sign them and, given United's failing so far this term, it's going to be a busy summer.

Whether United will be able to tempt their next signings with Champions League football is now the big issue.