The date is August 19, 1995 and Alan Hansen, unwittingly, is about to change the course of Manchester United's history.

Everyone knows about his famous "you can't win anything with kids" statement and the rather large helping of humble pie he was forced to swallow in the years that followed, as United's kids romped through the Premier League and Europe.

But there was a kernel of truth in the ill-judged broad brush statement from the ex-Liverpool defender and it applies to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's transfer policy in summer 2019. That United side even post Ince and Kanchelskis was built around the experience and guile of Eric Cantona, alongside some talented youngsters. Every good team needs a blend of youth and experience.

So for all the (much needed) optimism generated by the signings of Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka — although the latter has not yet been made official — the bottom line is United have signed two 21-year-olds who have made a combined 80 career starts.

Players with the inexperience of James and Wan-Bissaka aren't going to arrive as dressing room leaders. Nor should they be expected to turn United into immediate title contenders. These are considered signings made by Solskjaer with more than one eye on the future. And that's absolutely fair enough.

Tottenham Hotspur seem to be doing something similar in the transfer market. Their anticipated capture of 18-year-old Leeds starlet Jack Clarke is very much in the same vein as United's signing of James: a highly-rated raw talent from the Championship acquired to grow into a Premier League star of the future. Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy may have spoke about their 2015 purchase of Dele Alli from MK Dons when doing the deal — a young football league talent ready to make the giant leap to the Premier League.

Yet where Spurs are differing to United is in their overarching policy this summer, which isn't limiting the profile of players they're targeting.

The news that the north Londoners had stolen a march on both United and City to steam into pole position to sign Tanguy Ndombele was greeted by a collective Old Trafford groan. It now seems a matter of time before Spurs can confirm the deal and it shows Pochettino is returning to his previous transfer tactic — supplementing homegrown youngsters with marquee names from abroad. Tottenham are believed to be close to signing Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis too.

Although neither Ndombele or Lo Celso are exactly old (22 and 23 respectively), they are a different profile of player that United haven't brought in as yet. The news that the Reds hold an interest in Bruno Fernandes, therefore, may signal the start of Solskjaer's foray into more far flung European markets and that can only be a good thing.

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Fernandes is 24 and Harry Maguire 26. Both, in different ways, fall outside of the 'young British' transfer category that Solskjaer is believed to prefer this summer, yet both would suit United's needs and, looking at the bigger transfer picture, show a willingness to explore other areas of the market. Like Spurs are doing.

The general consensus from most top clubs these days is that youth wins in the transfer market. That's reflected in the inflated price tags for players under 25, Wan-Bissaka a classic case in point being both young and British — two separate premiums.

Spurs have done superbly to land Ndombele, if indeed they do so. United must mirror that policy of combining marquee names from abroad with the best of British talent that they've already begun to acquire.

If not Fernandes, then there are other options: Benfica's Ruben Dias and Napoli's Koulibaly would be decent centre-back picks; Adrien Rabiot is an excellent (and free) transfer choice in midfield. Wissam Ben Yedder has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Romelu Lukaku if the strikers leaves for Inter Milan.

Whoever it is, a smart signing from abroad would augment the arrivals of James and Wan-Bissaka and show that United are versatile, adaptable and forward-thinking in their transfer approach.