While Ratcliffe and Co. successfully binned off a lot of deadwood, they made improvements in various positions with six permanent signings entering the scene.
But their poor start to the season ( especially their “pathetic” performance against Liverpool ) proves Man Utd are far from back and a few more decent transfer windows are required if the Ratcliffe era is to forge a return to Premier League title glory.
This list will probably look pretty different in a year, but we’ve jumped the gun anyway to make early judgements of every permanent Man Utd signing, sale and notable release (all fees taken from transfermarkt ) in the 2024 summer window and ranked them from worst to best…
19) Donny van de Beek – Sold (£420k, Girona) Van de Beek and Man Utd cutting ties is long overdue. It quickly became clear that his £40m move to Old Trafford was doomed to fail from the get-go and this perception was strengthened by even his former Ajax pal – Erik ten Hag – struggling to get the best from him.
Still only 27, Van de Beek has much to give and he’s certainly worth more than just £420k. Man Utd’s blushes are somewhat spared by Girona’s deal – which reeks of Dele to Everton – including significant add-ons and a sell-on clause. Still not great, but at least he’s finally free and his wages are off the books.
I’d be lying if I said I’ve ever seen Kone play, so – on this sole occasion – I’ll hold back and let the teenager show us what he’s got before praising him/writing him off.
17) Charlie McNeil (£750,000, Sheffield Wednesday) A prolific goalscorer at youth level, McNeil re-joined Man Utd from Man City for around £750,000 in 2020 and the same fee was spent by Sheff Weds to sign him this summer.
Another young player leaving Man Utd with a point to prove, the 20-year-old has two goals for the Owls in the Carabao Cup but is yet to feature in the Championship.
16) Maxi Oyedele – Sold (undisclosed fee, Legia Warsaw) This list will continue to prove that it’s not been a good window for Man Utd academy products. Oyedele’s transfer fee won’t be too lavish but the club do have a significant sell-on clause.
The fact that the 19-year-old’s loan at League Two side Forest Green Rovers last season was cut short early after manager Steve Cotterill said “he had to do a lot more to get in the starting line-up” suggests Man Utd were right to cash in.
15) Will Fish – Sold (£1m, Cardiff City) There is little between this group of young players on this list, but Man Utd secured a good deal with Fish. The initial £1m could rise to £3m with add-ons, while there are also two bonuses of a buy-back clause and a 30% sell-on clause in the transfer.
14) Alvaro Carreras – Sold (£5m, Benfica) Man Utd could have done with having Carreras last season as injuries meant left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia missed much of the campaign. But his loan move to Benfica included a buy option which was activated earlier this summer.
13) Willy Kambwala – Sold (£8.4m, Villarreal) Of the players who have already left Man Utd in the summer, Kambwala is perhaps the most surprising exit.
But Kambwala remains a relatively unknown quantity and Man Utd have done pretty well to get £8.4m for him at this stage. Also, if he does flourish in La Liga, he could return to the Premier League giants as they wisely have a buy-back clause up their sleeves.
The 21-year-old previously impressed in the Championship with Birmingham City and he’ll have a decent crack at promotion with the Clarets. If he does well, Man Utd could receive as much as £9.4m for the centre-midfielder. Plus they have the now-customary sell-on and buy-back clause. So another good result for the Red Devils.
11) Facundo Pellistri – Sold (£5.1m, Panathinaikos) His form for Uruguay would suggest there is a better player in there than we have ever seen at Manchester United, but the truth is that he is now way behind Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo in the young winger ranks.
Although United have had to take an initial hit on Pellestri, including a 45% sell-on fee and a buy-back option in the deal is sensible from a club not always known for being sensible.
Varane was a much better signing than Sancho, but this summer was certainly the right window to part ways with the veteran centre-back after his injury-disrupted three years at Man Utd. Ratcliffe and Co. have got a lot right this summer, with one of their earliest decisions (letting the Frenchman and his wages leave) setting the tone for a progressive summer.
9) Aaron Wan Bissaka – Sold (£15m, West Ham United) What a cushty deal for all parties. Wan-Bissaka’s attacking deficiencies meant he was never likely to have a long-term future as their first-choice right-back, while he’s recently been outshone by an impressive Diogo Dalot.
£15m is a decent price for Wan-Bissaka, especially as Man Utd have secured – what appears to be an upgrade – for a lower fee. Under Julen Lopetegui, the West Ham newbie already looks to be fitting in well at his new home, with the reliance on the defensive side of his game far more relevant with a non-Big Six side.
8) Joshua Zirkzee – Bought (£35.7m, Bologna) Of Man Utd’s summer transfer priorities , one of the areas most in need of attention was the striker department and Ratcliffe’s first summer signing – Zirkzee – eased their issues in that area after Rasmus Hojlund was Erik ten Hag’s only option last season.
Linked with AC Milan and Arsenal, Zirkzee is much cheaper than Hojlund but is certainly of a similar mould as the inexperienced forward is far from the final product. His career at Man Utd got off to a dream start, but he was infuriatingly wasteful against Liverpool and features in the Premier League’s worst XI for matchday three.
So far, it remains to be seen whether he will fall in the category of success or flop. While his spells at Juventus and Bayern Munich are a concern, if he can rediscover his early-career form with Ajax in a Man Utd shirt, he will quickly prove himself to be a bargain.
Is he a risk? Yes. But at the very least, he’s an upgrade on several centre-back options already in the building and will provide strong competition for Lisandro Martinez and Leny Yoro when all three are fit.
6) Scott McTominay – Sold (£25.7m, Napoli) After being heavily linked with an exit last summer, McTominay was one of Man Utd’s stronger performers in 2023/24. While he deserves credit for that, this is more of an indictment of how badly most of his talented teammates performed.
McTominay provided an important goal threat during the latter stages of his spell at Man Utd and can leave with his head held high.
Rio Ferdinand will foolishly tell you otherwise , but with Premier League and Champions League titles in Ratcliffe’s sights, the Scotland international’s long-term future lay elsewhere and the new Old Trafford regime did well to prise such a significant fee (£30m including add-ons) away from buyers Napoli.
5) Manuel Ugarte – Bought (£42m, Paris Saint-Germain) Casemiro’s laughably bad disasterclass against Liverpool should end his time as a starter for Man Utd and the deadline-day arrival of Ugarte should speed up this process.
Again, Ratcliffe and Co. were rewarded for being patient as they landed top target Ugarte for a cut-price fee and his arrival *should* ensure Man Utd’s centre-midfield situation looks a whole lot better after the international break as the Uruguay international is far better suited to supporting Kobbie Mainoo than Casemiro.
4) Noussair Mazraoui – Bought (£12.8m, Bayern Munich) Mazraoui was the cheaper of Man Utd’s two raids on Bayern Munich this season, but his promising first few matches and his priceless versatility means he’s currently more likely than De Ligt to be a success.
Shaw and Tyrell Malacia’s injury problems will inevitably lead to Mazraoui getting plenty of minutes at left-back this season and of Ten Hag’s signings who have an Eredivisie history (which is most of them), Man Utd’s new utility full-back could be among the best.
3) Anthony Martial – Released (free agent) What a waste of a career. Martial joined Man Utd as a virtually unknown quantity but quickly displayed his immense potential before a mixture of attitude and fitness problems ensured he became an immense disappointment at Old Trafford.
As Hojlund admirably plugged away but struggled in patches during his debut season, he could have benefited from a senior figure to lean on for assistance in his times of need. But Martial was nowhere to be seen and it’s hardly a surprise that he is still without a club after his Man Utd contract expired in June. Jose Mourinho was right after all.
I’d be kidding myself if I said I’d ever seen Yoro play , but all the noise coming from those with knowledge of this so-called generational talent is overwhelmingly positive and it’s hard – even as a neutral – not to be giddy about this transfer, even though he’s already injured.
Unless he proves to be a big fat fraud when he’s back fully fit, United deserve immense plaudits for beating Real Madrid and others to acquire the teenager’s services.
1) Mason Greenwood – Sold (£21.8m, Marseille) Good riddance.
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