Who did Manchester United bring in and how much did they spend?
Manchester United spent a combined £216m on incomings this summer. Most of that money went towards building a new-look attack, bringing in the Premier League-proven Matheus Cunha (£62.5m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£71m), alongside the exciting potential from abroad in the form of Benjamin Sesko (£74m).
Then on deadline day the club completed the signing of Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens (£18.2m), a 23-year-old Belgian goalkeeper. Lammens led Europe’s top leagues for saves and ranked among the best in the “goals prevented” metrics last season, although he still has limited experience and is expected to compete with Andre Onana for the No 1 shirt rather than immediately replace him.
Underwhelming, if not embarrassing, displays from Onana and Altay Bayindir had raised alarm at Old Trafford, prompting United to make a move.
Lammens was judged a more affordable and better long-term fit than Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, whose wages and fee made a deal prohibitive. But his arrival also means United now have four senior goalkeepers, the same number of players they have in midfield.
Have the Red Devils covered every position?
While the goalkeeping position was addressed on deadline day, the club remains considerably lacking in midfield. United showed interest in Carlos Baleba to address this gap, but Brighton’s reluctance to sell, plus their demands for a fee close to the £115m Chelsea paid for Moises Caicedo, made a deal unworkable.
Alternatives such as Atalanta’s Ederson, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, and Stuttgart’s Angelo Stiller were considered but not decisively pursued.
As a result, United will enter the season without the holding midfielder Amorim requested and clearly needs. Amorim’s favoured 3-4-3 formation requires two No 6s. The club’s options here are Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo, but each has struggled to fit into the role.
Who did they sell?
United opened the window needing to let go of four players frozen out of the squad, namely Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony. Tyrell Malacia may also be included in this bracket.
Apart from Rashford, who joined Barcelona on loan a month ago, the outgoing business was left until deadline day. Garnacho was sold to Chelsea for £40m, ending months of speculation in which it emerged that the Argentine only wanted to move to London Blue.
Antony finally secured a permanent switch back to Real Betis for £21.7m, a £64m loss on his 2022 signing from Ajax, although United have a 50 per cent sell-on fee, which means they will profit if Antony is sold by Betis in future.
Jadon Sancho joined Aston Villa on loan, following Marcus Rashford’s move there in January. Villa will cover most of the player’s hefty wages and also pay a loan fee. Rasmus Hojlund joined Napoli on a season-long loan with a €44m obligation to buy if the Serie A champions qualify for the Champions League, an almost guaranteed scenario.
The only player who was unable to secure a move away is Malacia, whose move to Elche broke down on deadline day.
In total, United have made £68m in player sales, and potential add-ons and obligation-to-buy clauses could take that figure over £100m by next summer.
