It was far more desperate and panicked than it should have been, but Manchester United did end the transfer window on a high.
The squad is by no means perfect. There are clear areas of improvement still required and huge questions remain over the quality of the attacking line-up, piling the pressure on £72m arrival of Rasmus Hojlund, but Erik ten Hag got pretty much everything he wanted.
The most important of the four deadline-day arrivals came last with the eventual capture of Sofyan Amrabat. The combative midfielder had been on United’s radar all summer but only with hours to spare did the deal get done.
United have been hamstrung by FFP restrictions which have limited their spending but they only have themselves to blame for not raising enough funds in time through player sales. As a result, Amrabat had to be signed on an initial loan for £10m with the option to make the deal permanent for £20m.
A club of United’s stature shouldn’t be relying on loans but Amrabat wasn’t the only one, with Sergio Reguilon coming in for the season from Tottenham. Injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia gave United little choice but to dip into the market for left-back cover.
Altay Bayindir was another arrival as he joined for £5m from Fenerbahce to facilitate Dean Henderson’s exit and Jonny Evans rounded off the quartet by signing on for the season after returning to the club during pre-season.
The arrivals at least give Ten Hag plenty of fresh options and he needs as many as he can get given Mason Mount, Raphael Varane, Kobbie Mainoo, Amad Diallo and Tom Heaton are all currently injured while Jadon Sancho and Scott McTominay appear to have not travelled for Sunday’s game at Arsenal.
Thankfully, the international break is coming up which will give those players with minor knocks time to recuperate and hopefully return once the Premier League gets back underway.
It will be interesting to see how Ten Hag lines up his side when the majority of his first-teamers are available again with Amrabat’s arrival having the potential to shake things up. The manager has wanted another defensive midfielder all summer and the combative Morrocan fits the bill.
Casemiro has repeatedly been left exposed in the opening matches of the season as Ten Hag wants Mount to push further up the field and lead the press. With Amrabat now in the fold, he could come in to partner Casemiro in a double pivot to allow Mount to play a more advanced position.
Bruno Fernandes has played on the right on multiple occasions and could do the job again but would prefer to play centrally. Instead., it could be Mount who operates on the right flank.
That would see Antony drop out of the side, which does seem unlikely as he is a big favourite of Ten Hag’s but his performances have continued to underwhelm for such an expensive player. He’s been at Old Trafford over the year and his flashes of brilliance remain rare.
Hojlund’s return to fitness will be a massive relief as United have lacked spark in attack so far this season. It remains to be seen if the Danish starlet will live up to his own hefty price tag but just the presence of a dynamic and physical focal point will give the side direction.
It will also allow Marcus Rashford to stay out on the left where he does his best work by far. With Shaw out for a few months, Reguilon has the chance to earn the left-back spot over natural right-back Diogo Dalot. Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Andre Onana round out Ten Hag’s new strongest side.
