Manchester United have done a lot wrong in the transfer market in recent years, with ill-judged departures almost as significant as poorly planned signings.Scott McTominay left last year and won the

Real Madrid have been desperate to sign Álvaro Carreras from Benfica this summer and a transfer agreement has now been reached, Los Blancos were eager to add the left back to their roster before the FIFA Club World Cup but were unable to finalize a deal in time.

But listen to the way Xabi Alonso spoke about Alex Grimaldo throughout Bayer Leverkusen’s invincible title-winning season — when he provided 10 goals and 13 assists in the Bundesliga from his high-flying wing-back role — and it would be fair to assume that the Spaniard was top of the class.