The Premier League season is less than one week away from getting underway and Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking at their upcoming campaign with new-found optimism.
The Norwegian was finally able to capture his long-term target Jadon Sancho after an 18-month-long transfer saga, with the England international arriving in a £73million transfer.
Solskjaer has now followed that up with another high-profile signing in Raphael Varane, who has agreed a £42m move to Old Trafford to bolster their defensive options.
The Red Devils face a battle to hang onto Paul Pogba, the French midfielder who has only a year left to run on his current contract and is being courted by Paris Saint-Germain.
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But overall, it is shaping up to be a fine transfer window for Man Utd, which would only be improved if they manage to convince the 28-year-old to ink a new deal.
Alternatively, if Pogba does leave Old Trafford, Solskjaer has been tipped to move for Rennes starlet Eduardo Camavinga in a cut-price £30m deal and that would represent another piece of smart business.
But how does this transfer window compare to others since the departure of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson? An era which has seen the club splurge millions upon millions on promising talent but not always get it right.
With deals ranging from impressive to inexplicable, Mirror Football takes a deep dive into looking at United’s new arrivals over the years…
Summer 2013
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Manager: David Moyes
Signings: Marouane Fellaini (£28m, Everton ), Guillermo Varela (£2.4m, Penarol)
A disastrous beginning to the new era laid out at Old Trafford after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in May 2013.
Thiago Alcantara was Moyes’ top target but he chose Bayern Munich instead, while the club missed out on Daniele De Rossi, Luka Modric and Wesley Sneijder.
Even a late deal for Fabio Coentrao fell through, not to mention the farce involving Ander Herrera’s transfer and the LaLiga registration office.
January 2014
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Manager: David Moyes
Signings: Juan Mata (£37m, Chelsea )
It was viewed as something of a coup, snaring the highly-popular playmaker Juan Mata from Chelsea. In reality, the Blues had made a handsome profit on the player who had fallen down the pecking order under Jose Mourinho.
Having said that, Mata is still at United seven-and-a-half years later with 273 appearances under his belt, underlining his true worth to the club.
Summer 2014
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Manager: Louis van Gaal
Signings: Angel Di Maria (£59.7m, Real Madrid ), Ander Herrera (£36m, Athletic Bilbao), Luke Shaw (£27m, Southampton ), Marcos Rojo (£16m, Sporting Lisbon), Daley Blind (£13.8m, Ajax), Radamel Falcao (Loan, AS Monaco) and Victor Valdes (Free, Barcelona )
Moyes wanted Cesc Fabregas and got Ander Herrera, who had finally arrived a year later. Angel Di Maria had become the club’s record signing but scored only four goals before heading to PSG for £45m a year later.
Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Victor Valdes were plagued by injury, while Radamel Falcao’s dream loan, costing £7m, quickly entered flop territory. Only Shaw remains from the infamous 2014 summer window.
January 2015
Manager: Louis van Gaal
Signings: None
Summer 2015
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Manager: Louis van Gaal
Signings: Anthony Martial (£36m, AS Monaco), Memphis Depay (£25m, PSV Eindhoven), Morgan Schneiderlin (£24m, Southampton), Matteo Darmian (£12m, Torino), Bastian Schweinsteiger (£6m, Bayern Munich), Sergio Romero (Free, Sampdoria)
On paper, it looked like Van Gaal had made some excellent signings. The experience of Bastian Schweinsteiger, the pace of Memphis Depay and the exciting unknown of Anthony Martial.
But the new arrivals failed to get firing for United with Van Gaal’s brand of football branded boring and unpredictable. United’s return their total £103m investment was shockingly low, something Ed Woodward must take the blame for.
January 2016
Manager: Louis van Gaal
Signings: None
Summer 2016
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Manager: Jose Mourinho
Signings: Paul Pogba (£89m, Juventus ), Eric Bailly (£30m, Villarreal), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (£26m, Borussia Dortmund), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Free, PSG)
When you hire Mourinho, you must back that up with expensive signings of a high quality — and United did exactly that.
They broke their transfer record again to bring Paul Pogba back from Juventus, recruited the creative maestro Henrikh Mkhitaryan and secured Zlatan Ibrahimovic for nothing.
Pogba and Ibrahimovic made their mark, while Mkhitaryan largely flopped, but it was arguably their best business since Ferguson’s departure.
January 2017
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Signings: None
Summer 2017
Manager: Jose Mourinho
Signings: Romelu Lukaku (£75m, Everton), Nemanja Matic (£40m, Chelsea), Victor Lindelof (£38m, Benfica)
Mourinho could have zero complaints about the business United did in his second summer as the Red Devils eyed their first title in five years.
Romelu Lukaku looked a sound investment based on his scoring record at Everton, while Nemanja Matic had won two titles in three seasons at Chelsea. Much was expected of Victor Lindelof, but even four years on the jury is out on how successful the Swede has been.
United finished second that year, prompting Mourinho to demand further investment the next summer.
January 2018
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Manager: Jose Mourinho
Signings: Alexis Sanchez (Swap, Arsenal )
How could we forget the infamous January swap deal involving Alexis Sanchez and Henrikh Mkhitaryan?
With Sanchez’s contract expiring that summer, the Gunners agreed to take Mkhitaryan in a straight swap. Neither player lived up to that heights, with Sanchez managing only five goals in 43 games and he left for Inter Milan 18 months later.
Summer 2018
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Manager: Jose Mourinho
Signings: Fred (£52m, Shakhtar Donetsk), Diogo Dalot (£19m, FC Porto), Lee Grant (£1.5m, Derby County)
Mourinho had somehow convinced Fred to turn down Pep Guardiola and Manchester City to head to Old Trafford, but with the benefit of hindsight, that fee looks incredibly steep.
Diogo Dalot has hardly featured and has not delivered when he has, with a loan to AC Milan in 2020-21. With business like this, it was no surprise to see Mourinho sacked in November.
January 2019
Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Signings: None
Summer 2019
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Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Signings: Harry Maguire (£80m, Leicester City), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£50m, Crystal Palace), Daniel James (£17m, Swansea)
The first window where new boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made signings and it pointed to a new strategy for United: they wanted young, British talent to develop.
Spending to the tune of £147m, Solskjaer was building for the future at Old Trafford and his heavy spending appears to have paid off 30 months down the line, with Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka both progressing well.
January 2020
Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Signings: Bruno Fernandes (£46.5m, Sporting Lisbon), Odion Ighalo (Loan, Shanghai Shenhua)
Man United do not typically do much business in January but Solskjaer felt a need for some creativity.
Arguably their best signing of the post-Ferguson era, Bruno Fernandes has hit the ground running with 40 goals in 80 appearances for the club since his big-money move. Odion Ighalo was drafted in as a backup striker and bagged some key goals before heading back to China earlier this year.
Summer 2020
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Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Signings: Donny van de Beek (£35m, Ajax), Alex Telles (£13.5m, FC Porto), Facundo Pellistri (£8m, Penarol), Edinson Cavani (Free, PSG)
It has to be questioned why United would sign Donny van de Beek for such a large fee when it is abundantly clear Solskjaer is not keen on the Dutchman. The 23-year-old made only four starts in his debut season despite being fully fit.
But the Norwegian’s decision to bring in Edinson Cavani was inspired. His first season produced 17 goals in the red shirt and the Uruguayan, 34, has earned a new one-year deal as a reward.
Alex Telles was signed to compete with Luke Shaw but he has flattered to deceive thus far, while Facundo Pellistri is one to watch for the future. Overall, their biggest failure was struggling to land Jadon Sancho after months of negotiations.
January 2021
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Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Signings: Amad (£37m, Atalanta)
Just the one signing came through the doors in January for United with Solskjaer’s squad looking almost complete.
But the club reacted to their failure to sign Sancho after plumping for the heavily-scouted Ivorian starlet Amad, who had been spotted shining for Atalanta’s youth team. Expect to see more of the 18-year-old this season.
Summer 2021
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Manager: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Signings: Jadon Sancho (£73m, Borussia Dortmund), Tom Heaton (Free, Aston Villa)
Signing Sancho would have felt like a huge relief to Solskjaer, particularly for a much lower fee than was originally quoted.
Add in the impending arrival of Varane and the pair of signings will surely mark United as title contenders as they aim to end their nine-year wait for a league title.
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