Neville really excited by Man United signing, Carragher thinks he’s Real Madrid-quality

It is no secret, meanwhile, that Real Madrid are big admirers of Leny Yoro, the jewell in Ineos’ crown thus far. You could make a case for Lisandro Martinez too, arguably the finest left-sided centre-half on the planet when fit and ferocious.

But the tally, realistically, stops at three.

Or, at least, it did until Matthijs de Ligt completed his £38 million move from Bayern Munich to Manchester United last week.

There may be concerns over his fitness record – De Ligt missed 18 games for club and country last season thanks largely to a knee ligament tear – but in terms of pure footballing quality, Man United may have just got themselves a bargain.