Can you think of a transfer that has gone as poorly as Alexis Sanchez's move to Man Utd? When you consider his poor form, the circumstances of his arrival in Manchester and, perhaps most poignantly, the money involved in the deal, surely nothing can come close?

Fortunately, it's the sort of deal that a team will only do once. Man Utd are now paying for their transfer mistake in a big way, but it appears as though they've learnt their lesson.

That's clear because of a recent report from ESPN. According to ESPN, Man Utd have decided against moving for Real Madrid ace Gareth Bale, who has an uncertain future in Spain.

Bale, of course, shares a lot of traits with Sanchez. He's got a fantastic record and he's held in high regard, but he's also no longer a spring chicken, whilst the financial demands of securing such a deal would, like with Sanchez, be astronomical.

Man Utd appear to have learnt that just because a player has a good history and is worth a lot of money doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be a good fit for the Red Devils.

Indeed, as ESPN report, Man Utd are now more focused on signing young talent, and that's exactly what they need to do. Then, even if they perform poorly, there's still a chance that the club will be able to sell them and get them off the wage books. If a deal for Bale went poorly, as the deal for Sanchez has, the Red Devils would have been left to pick up the scraps.

By changing their transfer policy, they're future-proofing the squad - and that hints at a team that has learnt its lesson.

Thoughts?