Manchester United summer transfer window review

National World - LocalTV

A review of the summer out of 10.

Transcript

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.

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