Manchester United spent more than £200million on new signings over the summer but Ruben Amorim's side weren't successful in their pursuit of all their top targets
A deal for England Under-21 star Liam Delap to join Manchester United was all but done before a last-minute change of heart, it has been claimed. Delap instead joined Chelsea, with the opportunity to play Champions League football said to be a factor.
United were 90 minutes away from securing Champions League football themselves, only to lose the Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao. They have still been able to lure top attacking talent to Old Trafford, but Delap appears to be the first star they missed out on as a result of that European failure.
According to The Mail, United's deal for Delap was '90 percent done'. A £30million release clause came into play when his previous club Ipswich Town got relegated, and Ruben Amorim's side were in the box seat before Chelsea swooped in.
The same outlet reports that Matheus Cunha - another player with a release clause - was United's top target. They got that deal wrapped up early, also adding Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko to their ranks, though a relatively cut-price Delap deal could have had a knock-on effect on the club's wider transfer business.
Delap didn't take long to get off the mark for Chelsea, netting in a Club World Cup group stage victory over Esperance. His Premier League progress has been derailed by injury, though, and he hasn't played since limping off against Fulham in August.
United's new starting striker Sesko has been eased in, despite a relative lack of other options. His first three league outings all came from the bench, and it wasn't until appearance number six that the Slovenia star scored his first goal for his new employers.
Sesko followed his close-range effort at Brentford with a second United goal in the win against Sunderland before the international break. That victory lifted Amorim's team back up into the top half, but pressure remains ahead of Sunday's trip to Liverpool.
"Of course, he was anxious for his first goal," Amorim said of Sesko before the Sunderland game. "The thing I like most in Ben is, even when things are hard for him with the ball, he is working hard in every minute of the game. That is the most important thing in the moment."
While United's match away to Liverpool will provide a big test, Chelsea have what looks on paper like a more inviting game when they return from the international break. Enzo Maresca's team are off to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest, who sit a point outside the relegation places and haven't won since the opening weekend of the season.
The game is set to come too soon for Delap to feature, though. The striker remains out of action with the hamstring injury he sustained against Fulham, and isn't expected back until November or perhaps December.