Manchester United now about content over quality

In recent years, the path from Old Trafford to the Santiago Bernabeu has been a relatively popular one: Ruud van Nistelrooy, David Beckham and of course Cristiano Ronaldo have all moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid. 

The deal that saw Paul Pogba join United in preference to Real Madrid, then, gave United vice-chairman Edward Woodward particular pleasure.

Coming on the back of a summer in which United have appointed Jose Mourinho as coach and signed Zlatan Ibrahmovic, it marks the distinct ‘Madrid-isation’ of United’s strategy. The Pogba deal is a move right out of Real Madrid’s Hollywood playbook – to attract fan interest by signing superstars that can mitigate against on-field results with huge commercial weight.