Still, Fabinho at Old Trafford next season was looking like a distinct possibility, until that fateful day on the 15th of June when it appeared the club had briefed English journalists with the information Mourinho had very little interest in the Brazilian.
The five stages of grief set in.
Denial was the first, with many refusing to believe Mourinho could not be interested in such a great, versatile prospect.
Anger, as fans saw the names Eric Dier and Nemanja Matic linked with Manchester United.
Bargaining, as they looked at alternatives for Fabinho that weren’t named Eric or Nemanja.
Depression, when some account claimed Fabinho had chosen Paris Saint-Germain instead.
And just when acceptance was rearing its underwhelming yet weirdly satisfying head, Corriere dello Sport wade in with a brief yet to the point article, reigniting all the hope that Manchester United fans had worked so hard to suppress in one swift act of typemanship.