The day after Manchester United finished their four-game preseason tour of the United States with a 2-0 defeat by Paris Saint-Germain at Chicago’s Soldier Field, the Chicago Tribune could find space for just 36 words and a small picture within the 10 broadsheet pages of its sports section.
By the time it was published, United were already out of America’s third-biggest city, having flown overnight across the Atlantic in a chartered aircraft back to Manchester.
The squad will remain at home from now until the start of the Premier League season on August 8 when they face Tottenham Hotspur. At the request of manager Louis van Gaal, there will be no preseason game as usual at Old Trafford.
Diminishing Stateside media coverage aside, United will count the tour as a success. They won three of their four games and Van Gaal stated that he was happy with the performance in the fourth in front of a near sell-out 61,352 crowd.
Around 80 per cent of those fans wore the red of United, and so while the media fascination with United and the other European giants who play their preseason games in the United States is diminished, people are still flocking to watch.
United’s remaining friendly games will be behind closed doors at the Carrington training ground where Van Gaal has also seen the changes he demanded implemented.
The turf has been replaced with the one he wanted, floodlights installed to replicate night conditions of games such as United’s first away match at Aston Villa on August 14.
Van Gaal likes double training sessions, and the club have accommodated all his demands.
What he says goes and Alex Ferguson, who was in America for the majority of the tour, is content to stay in the background, a smiling ambassadorial figure looking happy with life.
Van Gaal asked for signings and, unlike in previous seasons, Ed Woodward and his advisers made five of them happen early enough for the players to sign in July.
Germany captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, 30, is the standout and came from Bayern Munich. He has impressed all with his focus and excellent English.
Fellow new signings French international Morgan Schneiderlin and Dutch forward Memphis Depay featured prominently on the tour, while Italian international defender Matteo Darmain, signed from Torino, was one of the best players and Van Gaal feels he can play as a left- or right-back.
He might not be needed at left-back if a fitter Luke Shaw continues his impressive form after a mediocre first season following his arrival from Southampton.
Central defence are of more cause for concern. Argentine international Marcos Rojo failed to join up with his club after his passport was delayed following approval for a work permit.
His compatriot Angel di Maria also failed to board the plane to America ahead of a likely move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Di Maria cut an unhappy and unsettled figure in his final three months in Manchester, with teammates under the impression he did not want to be at the club. He made limited efforts to learn English.
Van Gaal selected a settled starting XI which he anticipates starting against Tottenham at Old Trafford on the opening day of the campaign.
That includes versatile midfielder Daley Blind as a central defender. United hope to sign a forward and a central defender, but the most complicated deals almost always take the longest to complete.
There will likely be more outgoing players too, with Victor Valdes, Rafael, Jonny Evans, Anders Lindegaard and Javier Hernandez allowed to follow Nani and Robin van Persie out of the club.
A problem for United is that some of those players earn so much money they have little inclination to leave before their contracts expire.
Van Gaal has spent close on £250 million (Dh1.4 billion) in little more than a year with mixed success, with two of the players who are considered world-class – Radamel Falcao and Di Maria – proving to be the biggest disappointments.
The Dutch coach has had a season to settle in and get across his much-vaunted ‘philosophy’ to players who at times have been circumspect.
He remains popular among fans, but while results last season were sufficient to achieve a top-four finish and an Uefa Champions League qualifier this month, significant improvement is demanded this term and United are expected to mount a serious challenge for trophies.
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