COUNTY KILDARE, Ireland -- Speaking to a small group of reporters at Carton House Hotel in County Kildare this week, Harry Maguire took the opportunity to send a message to the Manchester United hierarchy.
In Ireland, with the rest of Michael Carrick's squad for a short training camp designed to rejuvenate players and staff ahead of the final push towards qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League, Maguire -- with a new one-year contract signed and sealed -- was already looking to the future.
"I think this summer is going to be a big summer," he said, unprompted. "I think we've got to recruit really well."
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It felt like Maguire was speaking on behalf of a dressing room that has seen the benefit of positive signings -- Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens -- this season and now want more to help the team finally challenge for the Premier League title.
But if Maguire's comments were aimed at co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada, director of football Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell, they were probably unnecessary.
Sources have told ESPN that there's a feeling internally that getting this summer's recruitment drive right is even more important than the appointment of the next head coach.
It's not to say that the decision about who should be Ruben Amorim's permanent successor isn't a big one. But having been in position for more than two years, Ratcliffe and his team have learned that it's easier to recover from manager mistakes than it is from ones made in the transfer market.
They're still dealing with the fallout from some of the decisions made before they arrived.
Ahead of what is a crucial summer, there are concerns that André Onana's wage -- which will jump up if United qualify for the Champions League -- will be a significant hurdle in trying to find another exit route for the Cameroon goalkeeper after a season on loan in Türkiye with Trabzonspor.
Well-negotiated exits -- including Onana's -- will be key to this summer's transfer business. United, according to sources, are hoping to cover the cost of its primary summer target -- a central midfielder -- with funds raised from outgoings, preserving the rest of the budget to make other additions.