It sums up the dysfunction at Manchester United to recall their attempt to sign Virgil van Dijk, which involved a frantic, desperate telephone call to see if he was still available. Doh! The defender had already completed his medical on Merseyside.

Such a botched move (as late and hopeless as their bid to sign Gareth Bale when he left Tottenham Hotspur for Real Madrid) encapsulates the lack of understanding between manager(s) and board, an absence of vision or even basic planning when it comes to recruitment, which is only one of many big problems to rectify at Old Trafford.

Liverpool had made all the right, persistent moves for Van Dijk and how delighted they must be with the man who, it was confirmed yesterday, is