In the post-2000-era, Manchester United's unrelenting dominance of the Premier League was built on a squad of superstars as Sir Alex Ferguson nurtured some of the best young prospects to grace the beautiful game.
Of course, prising Cristiano Ronaldo away from Sporting Lisbon for £12m in 2003 will go down as arguably the greatest piece of business the club has ever done, but the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney arrived as young prospects for big money and departed the club as legends.
While the pillars of their success were built on their eye for talented youngsters that they developed into superstars, Ferguson also did some underrated business in the transfer market, capturing Nemanja Vidic for £7m from Spartak Moscow in 2006 – who became a colossus at the back alongside Ferdinand – Patrice Evra for £5.5m from AS Monaco and PSV Eindhoven's Ji-sung Park for £4m.
It is fair to say the 2005/06 season was a hugely successful one in the transfer window as that trio played a huge role in helping United dominate on the domestic and European front.
Similarly, luring Antonio Valencia from Wigan Athletic in 2009 was another time when the Red Devils struck gold in the transfer market, as the Ecuador international became an integral cog in Fergie's winning machine.
How much did Man United pay for Antonio Valencia?
Signed in the summer of 2009, Man United captured the signature of highly-rated Wigan winger Valencia for £16m.
Valencia became Ferguson's first signing since Ronaldo departed for £80m in the same summer, and although he was never going to be a direct replacement for the outgoing superstar, he was a player that the Scot was chasing for a while.
Upon the completion of the transfer, Ferguson said: "Antonio is a player we have admired for some time now, having spent the last two years in the Premier League with Wigan, I am sure his pace and ability will make a significant contribution to the team."
Possessing the raw pace and power that was a staple in Ferguson's well-oiled machine, Valencia arrived at the club after producing 17 goal contributions in 89 appearances for the Latics – whilst that record is nothing to write home about – a move to Man United would be the catalyst for the 24-year-old's development.
How good was Antonio Valencia at Man United?
Valencia was built in the mould of an old-fashioned winger; difficult to defend against in one vs one's, utilising his fast, powerful and direct attributes to fashion a space for a cross and flash a ball into the danger zone.
Although defenders knew what was coming, Valencia was excellent at crafting a yard of space to send a telling and often quality delivery into the box, a movement that saw him record an impressive seven goals and 13 assists in his first season at Old Trafford.
United went on to lose out on the Premier League title by a single point to Chelsea, preventing them from lifting a fourth consecutive title and while they would return to the top of the tree in the following season, Valencia's campaign was hampered by a dislocated and fractured ankle, though he did return in time to help the Red Devils lift their 19th league title.
In the following season, the explosive winger began his transition into becoming a dependable right back and the switch to a more defensive role allowed him to thrive from a deeper position, chalking up an incredible 14 assists in 27 appearances in the top flight as he scooped the United’s Fans and Players’ Player of the Season awards.
Rewarded with the number 7 jersey that was donned by Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Ronaldo previously, Valencia's form subsequently dipped, contributing to half the number of goals and a quarter of assists in Ferguson's final campaign.
During the David Moyes and Louis van Gaal eras that followed, Valencia's output declined – as did United's powers in English football – and it wasn't untill Jose Mourinho arrived in 2016 that the 5 foot 11 "beast", as dubbed by former teammate Juan Mata, was allowed to flourish once more.
Valencia was someone who the Special One had admired since his days managing Real Madrid and although Mourinho didn't turn him into the flying fullback, the process began long before his arrival.
“I tried to sign Antonio when I was at Madrid,” Mourinho said. "Even though he was not playing right-back at the time, I thought he could be phenomenal in that position.”
Mourinho showcased his love for Valencia even further by labelling him as the "best right back in the world" in 2017, paying an ode to the longevity and consistent quality that he produced.
After tallying up 87 goal contributions in 339 appearances, current manager Erik ten Hag can only dream of having a right-back capable of producing that level of output in the final third with Diogo Dalot, for instance, only contributing to nine goals in 115 appearances for the club so far.
Remembered fondly by supporters for being a winger turned world-class right back, who was adored by Ferguson and Mourinho, Valencia was one of several unsung heroes at Manchester United during their glittering period at the top and is now retired following stints in Ecuador and Mexico.