Sir Alex Ferguson reckons Manchester United saved millions on Mexico striker Javier Hernandez by signing him before the World Cup.
The 22-year-old is expected to make his debut by playing some part in United's pre-season friendly against the MLS All Stars on Wednesday in Houston.
Hernandez had already signed for the club by the time he made his name for the national team, scoring against France and Argentina to demonstrate what the Old Trafford faithful can look forward to this season.
Ferguson praised the contribution of his scouts and of Hernandez's former employers Chivas de Guadalajara in their negotiations for the player, hailing their levels of professionalism for keeping the deal under wraps.
"I think our scouting people deserve 10 out of 10 for identifying him before the World Cup and I think if we had been trying to negotiate after the World Cup it would have been very difficult," said the United boss.
"I think a lot of teams would have been after him and it would probably have cost us two or three times more.
"Our relationship we have built with Chivas has been excellent, they really were very accommodating in everything, the amazing thing was that no-one in the club said a word.
"At Manchester United we find that almost impossible, news always leaks out at our club, but Chivas kept it quiet which was a marvellous asset for us and full marks for their professionalism."
Hernandez joined up with his new team-mates on Monday to train for the first time, but Ferguson was wary about giving him a substantial amount of game time and was keen to assess his fitness levels.
"He joined us today and so we have to ascertain what he has been doing in the last few weeks physically, we would like to use him in part of the game on Wednesday - partly because I know there is a big Mexican population in Houston and it would be a very exciting attraction for them," Ferguson added.
"Secondly we want to try to integrate him into the team as quickly as possible so those are the reasons we would like to play him but we want to just have a chat with him and see what he has been doing physically - I don't think it would be wise to play him without having any real preparation for this game."