Manchester United's pursuit of Daniel James indicates a positive change in recruitment policy

Radamel Falcao's squint at seeing his number coming up at Preston North End was probably the perfect harbinger that laid bare the problems at Manchester United in the most poignant manner. With United trailing to The Lillywhites, it was damning for the Colombian superstar to be replaced by Ashley Young in a game where - for what seemed like an eternity - he hemmed and hawed but still couldn't buy a goal.

Similarly, one of Angel Di Maria's most humbling moments came against Newcastle United at St James' Park where he was deployed on the right wing and hauled off at the hour mark, where his routine string of ineffectual, and frankly perplexing performances continued. Alexis Sanchez's story hasn't been any different, and for all the hullabaloo that preceded his high-profile arrival, the Chilean has failed miserably at United, failing to justify his astronomical wages and the weight of expectations that his jersey number brings.

Ed Woodward's fixation with bringing big-name signings to the club, those that befit United's burgeoning stature as an absolute marketing powerhouse and a globally recognized brand, has evidently brought more harm than good to United ever since Sir Alex Ferguson's swansong. Hardly any of his Galactico purchases have worked out and this has resulted in United's stock plummeting, with the blowback of keeping expensive misfits on the clubs wage bill skewing finances significantly, and making them difficult to offload.

Performances on the pitch have been, to put it mildly, shambolic, and the Old Trafford outfit have missed out on Champions League football for the third time since 2013 this season. Naturally, United find themselves in a huge quandary heading into the summer transfer window.

The absence of Champions League football will surely dent their pursuits of players like Kalidou Koulibaly and Matthijs de Ligt significantly, given that so many top class individuals in modern football consider Champions League to be the holy grail of football and simply cannot do without it.

Of course, there have been exceptions in the form of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic though, who both committed their futures to the club whilst United were involved in the Europa League.

These anomalies lend credence to the assumption that due to the rich history and incredible trophy cabinet that goes with the luxury and fame of being a United player, the absence of Champions League football wouldn't hugely affect their pursuit of superstars in the summer.

Significantly though, players and agents have begun to realize that the instability at the club that stems from the hierarchy makes any 'project' pitched to them impossible to achieve; therefore, there's a sense of hesitancy to commit to a club of United's nature at the moment, no matter how enticing the monetary compensation is.

When the oil hits the pan and the big names are treated to febrile atmospheres regularly, the fear of being deemed scrap heap sets in and a contingency to move out as soon as possible begins to take shape. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer identified this problem and has therefore remodelled his approach towards signing players in the upcoming transfer window.

The crest of this illusionary wave of recruiting megastars which United are riding on needs to gravitate to a chastening trough and the pursuit of Daniel James from Swansea City is symbolic of the acknowledgement about the same.

In ditching the poster boys of world football for full-blooded up-and-coming talent who fit the protocol of the system the club wants to deploy, Solskjaer has laid down the foundations of a radical change in approach for United and how their squad will be shaped in the years to come. The Norwegian has a distilled vision of how he wants his version of United to be, and the reported targets he has outlined fall in line with that unbridled perception.

A fearless, freely-attacking, and much fitter United - much akin to the team he played in - would be Solskjaer's ideal end product going into the new season. And, prospects like Jadon Sancho, Daniel James, and Joao Felix are assiduous and endowed young individuals - flair players who thrive in an interchangeable attacking system where they are given the license to showcase their arsenal of skills and trust their innate sense of proclivity - fit this system like a glove.

It won't be outlandish to believe that Solskjaer, in his attempts to refurbish United's squad, is trying to instil a spirit of fearlessness that comes naturally with the inclusion of such incredibly endowed and confident youngsters.

Quite often at United, we've witnessed that the lack of a blueprint has given rise to a sense of innocuity and made it difficult for the players to approach every game with the same level of intensity and consistency. One of Solskjaer's long-term and most paramount goals needs to be the establishment of a model of consistency and maturity, which when honed gently over a sustained period, makes United a well-oiled machine which is capable of dispatching opponents with an unnerving degree of potency.

Extrapolating the best virtues of these youngsters by means of supplying them with succinct tactical instructions and moulding a brilliant collection of exciting individuals into a team is of paramount importance, and one facet of Solskjaer's managerial ability that will be put to the test next season.

A massive overhaul, coupled with Solskjaer and the board's recognition of the fact that a change in policy is required is an incredibly encouraging sign and gives the United faithful a glimmer of optimism whilst heading into a busy summer.

The ramifications of the activity, or non-activity, through the doors at Carrington this summer will be felt on the team for the foreseeable future, and it is imperative that the club make optimum use of the resources at their disposal.

For that to happen though, he needs to be fully backed by the board and more importantly, given time to execute what he has in mind - any semblance of short-termism from the top brass will only see history repeating itself, once again.