The Red Devils broke the club record for total transfer spend in one window during the summer.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United fans shouldn’t expect an eventful January transfer window after the club’s major summer spending spree, according to Red Devils football director John Murtough.
The Manchester club were very active in the off-season, bringing in a new manager in Erik ten Hag and six new players.
A club record total of around £227 million was spent on new arrivals, more than half of which went towards bringing in Ten Hag’s former Ajax charges Lisandro Martinez and Antony.
Antony was United's biggest signing of the summer. (Image credit: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
United continue to be linked with players ahead of the mid-season window, but Murtough isn’t anticipating much activity.
“Ultimately, we made a record level of investment for a single window, reflecting the conditions in the market, but also our commitment to supporting the manager,” Murtough said (via The Telegraph).
“We always said that reshaping the squad would take more than a window and we’re already working with Erik on the next steps in that process, with a focus on next summer and beyond.
“But it’s important to recognise that investment must always be sustainable, meaning that what we spend on players must be supported by revenues over the long-term.
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Casemiro joined from Real Madrid in August. (Image credit: Getty)
“We ended the summer slightly ahead of where we expected to be in terms of the number of players brought in, so we don’t anticipate the same level of activity in future windows, although we will continue to strengthen.”
Antony and Martinez cost around £142m together, while Casemiro was brought in for £70m and Tyrell Malacia cost £14.7m from PSV Eindhoven.
Christian Eriksen was also signed on a free transfer, while goalkeeper Martin Dubravka arrived on loan from Newcastle.
United’s new-look side sit fifth in the Premier League table, one point outside the top four, after 10 games.
Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.
