Manchester United summer transfer window review
A review of the summer out of 10.
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00:00 So Michael, the hectic transfer window has now come to an end in the summer.
00:05 Just give us a little review on Manchester United's window.
00:08 Firstly, you know, as we've mentioned before, they have strength in their side,
00:13 definitely from last year and they've managed to keep some players.
00:16 But you think that there's certainly some more that could have been done?
00:19 Yeah, I think so.
00:22 I think it's a transfer window that was a transfer window of almost two halves.
00:26 I think the first half they got themselves actually sort of pretty quickly
00:30 and they got Mason Mount, Andre Anana and Rasmus Hoyland.
00:34 That was all before the season started, which is unusual being able to be that proactive
00:38 in the early stages of the window.
00:40 Obviously shifted on David De Gea, but that is where the issues then come,
00:44 because other than De Gea, who obviously left at a transfer fee anyway,
00:49 that was the only significant departure really in certainly the early stages.
00:53 Anthony Alanga left for a bit of money, but other than that,
00:56 there wasn't a huge amount of outgoings.
00:58 And United really struggled to sell players.
01:00 Harry Maguire is still at the club.
01:02 Anthony Martial is still at the club.
01:04 Scott McTominay, all players they would have liked to have moved on.
01:08 They remained.
01:09 United just simply couldn't get the money in.
01:11 So therefore they didn't have enough financial resources through a variety of things,
01:16 but mainly FFP.
01:18 So they didn't have the resources to spend elsewhere.
01:21 And as a result, it meant that they were going in the last couple of days,
01:23 scratching around, just hoping that they could complete deals.
01:27 Safian Amrabat is one that they wanted for weeks and weeks.
01:29 I mean, we've saw a lot of talk about him on these videos,
01:33 but it only got completed on transfer deadline day in the final hour of the market for a loan.
01:37 United paid, I think it's 8.85 million pound, it's a million euro loan fee.
01:43 I mean, that is almost unheard of to pay that amount for a loan fee.
01:47 There's an option to buy at the end of it.
01:49 I suspect that has come down a little bit given the significant loan fee, to be honest with you.
01:53 But it's just a really frustrating end to the market for me, for United.
01:58 The issues were left back as well.
01:59 They were linked with, I think it was seven different left backs.
02:02 They were linked within the final day or final couple of days in the market.
02:05 Obviously, look, they had injury issues and that's not, there's no one to blame for that.
02:09 It's not Ten Hag's fault, it's not the club hierarchy's fault.
02:12 But, and I suspect all seven weren't really under consideration,
02:15 but the amount of names being linked, the frantic nature of it all,
02:20 just hinted a club that still there are huge issues.
02:24 You've obviously got everything that's going on with the Glazers,
02:26 it's impacting that and the takeover.
02:28 I think obviously, Mason Greenwood had a big factor in the transfer window as well,
02:32 and just the debacle that surrounded that.
02:34 So, overall in the end, it ended pretty chaotically and pretty disappointingly,
02:39 despite the start being pretty good.
02:41 Overall, I think that as you've touched on, the squad is better than last year.
02:46 They've kept their seven or eight best players and most important players.
02:49 They've added and they've strengthened in areas.
02:51 Hoyland, I think Amarbat will be a good sign in.
02:53 Onana, Mount, I think Reguilón actually will be another option at left back as well.
02:58 So, there's definitely a better squad, but there's still issues.
03:01 And the fact that some of the deadwood is still there,
03:03 some of the players that they want to move on are still in the squad.
03:06 That's the problem.
03:07 And when you end against Arsenal with your fourth and fifth choice centre-backs,
03:12 Harry Maguire and Johnny Evans, that's a problem.
03:15 And that's where United are a little bit.
03:17 Obviously, as I said, injury is a big factor in that.
03:19 But yeah, listen, there's a good start, a not great end.
03:24 You know, you asked for a rating out of 10, I'd give it a six out of 10 for that reason.
03:29 But yeah, certainly kind of big issues still to be addressed going into January
03:34 and potentially next summer.