Manchester United’s obsession with prioritising established Premier League talent this summer saw them miss out on an ideal transfer opportunity, and Michael Carrick’s side are counting the cost of the blunder now.

Mamadou Sangare has been one of the Premier League’s best midfielders in the early part of the campaign having signed for Brentford from Ligue 1 side Lens for €48 million.

United had an interest in Sangare last summer, but they ultimately opted instead to move for Carlos Baleba, who was far more expensive at €75.9m but who had been coming off a difficult season with Brighton during which he had been hit with injury.

The logic was simple: Baleba was proven in the Premier League and Sangare was not.

The Cameroon international had been courted by the Old Trafford club a year earlier, during which they had been told to start the bidding at €115m.

United didn’t see the drop in Baleba’s value as a warning. They saw it as an opportunity. It may still prove to be – but it came at the cost of Sangare, who is quickly becoming the Premier League’s next big midfield star.

Sangare is the box-to-box monster United need

Baleba faces several weeks out after pulling up lame in Man Utd’s 3-2 Champions League win over Roma, and his absence offers the opportunity for under-fire sporting director Jason Wilcox and those others in the corridors of power at Old Trafford to reflect on their decision to sign him ahead of Sangare.

The Brentford ace has been one of the standout signings of the summer, rapidly adapting to life in England after a stunning campaign in Lens.

The 24-year-old was the ultimate box-to-box player in Ligue 1 last season. Three goals and four assists in 29 Ligue 1 appearances only scrape the surface of what he is capable of.

He finished the season having produced the second-most tackles (54), the 11th-most interceptions (40) and the 26th most shots (53) across all players in the league. His impact at both ends of the field was such that he is the only player to finish the campaign with 50+ tackles and 50+ shots.

Remarkably, all this was achieved despite only arriving at the club from Rapid Vienna in an €8m deal midway through August and missing a month of the season due to AFCON commitments with Mali.

Recognition of his efforts came in the form of the Marc-Vivien Foe prize, which is awarded to the top African player each year in Ligue 1.

He was perfect for United, who have long required a high-volume runner in midfield.

“I love going after the opponent. I've really improved in that area… I really enjoy that aspect of my game because it gives me real pleasure to win back possession,” he told RFI.

It’s Brentford who are benefiting from these talents now.

Wilcox’s biggest mistake?

Perhaps the biggest puzzle for United was why they didn’t go for Sangare. It was clear they wanted to work in the €40-50m price bracket having almost signed Ederson from Atalanta for that figure.

Instead of going all-in on Baleba, they could have signed Sangare and potentially had money left over to bolster another area of the squad, such as the problem left-back position.

Man Utd may have missed their chance. By next summer, Sangare may well be talked about as the Premier League’s next €100m midfielder and one of the Wilcox era's most bruising errors.