Transfer deadline day failed to produce the happy ending to the January window that Manchester United's supporters were dreaming of.
After strengthening their defensive options with the captures of Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu over the weekend, many United supporters were cautiously optimistic Ruben Amorim would get the attacking addition he was in desperate need of.
However, United made the decision not to recruit a striker ahead of the 11pm deadline, instead prioritising their plans for the summer transfer window. Amorim must now work with what he has between now and the end of the season. The club's Premier League campaign is as good as over and their only hope of salvaging something this season will be via the FA Cup and the Europa League.
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With the January window now closed for business, MEN Sport has analysed United's window, picking out three positives and two negatives:
Positives:
Dorgu signs
United wrapped up the signing of Dorgu from Italian side Lecce for an initial £25million fee on Sunday. He arrived in Manchester on Saturday, passed his medical the same day and was unveiled to the Old Trafford faithful ahead of the 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Sunday.
United went into the January window having made the addition of a left-sided wing-back their leading objective. Dorgu, 20, was identified as a suitable fit for Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation and is expected to become the club's long-term option at left wing-back.
The Reds have lacked balance on that flank almost all season and the need for a left-footed wing-back on that side of the pitch was blindingly obvious. Though Dorgu is raw and is something of an unknown to the majority of United fans, he has arrived with plenty of credit in the bank, meaning there is optimism he will provide the answer United have been looking for on their left flank.
Antony and Rashford depart
Antony joined United from Ajax in September 2022 for a fee north of £80m and he could go down in history as the Premier League's worst ever signing. He has scored just 12 goals in 96 games for the Reds and has not started a league game since May.
His temporary switch to Real Betis, which does not include the option for the Spanish club to sign him permanently in the summer, is a move that suits all parties. The best United can now hope for is that he has a successful second half of the season and drives up his value in preparation for being offloaded permanently in the summer.
Being left out of 12 of the last 13 matchday squads, United and Marcus Rashford had to part ways before the deadline. There was no point in United retaining a player that Amorim had no intentions of playing.
His loan move to Aston Villa offers him the opportunity to get his career back on track with a clean slate. It has also allowed United to get a large percentage of his £325,000 weekly salary off their books.
Heaven checks in
The signing of young centre-back Heaven from Arsenal is a nod to the club's future and Ineos' long-term plan.
The United hierarchy have begun to evolve the club's recruitment strategy and the addition of Heaven is in line with that vision. United raided Arsenal for Chido Obi-Martin in the summer and they have followed suit with the capture of Heaven.
Despite having only made one senior appearance during his time with the Gunners, United have confirmed the 18-year-old will go straight into the first-team squad. The club has high hopes for the young centre-back.
Negatives:
No new striker
United's failure to sign a striker could prove to be costly. Despite being right to let Antony and Rashford leave, likewise allowing Ethan Wheatley to move to Walsall on loan to earn some first-team experience, they are now incredibly light up front.
Rasmus Hojlund is on a run of 13 games without a goal and Joshua Zirkzee has one goal in his last 16 appearances. United fans are right to ask where the goals are going to come from.
In addition to signing a left wing-back, getting a striker through the door had to be a priority for United. They considered swoops for Bayern Munich's Mathys Tel and Christopher Nkunku of Chelsea but nothing came to fruition.
Tel would have represented a huge gamble amid his goalscoring record and Nkunku is not a natural No.9. Nevertheless, United should have explored other options at the very least.
Casemiro stays
Featuring just once in United's opening eight games of 2025, the club would have been forgiven for offloading Casemiro ahead of the deadline. He has stored just 18 minutes under his belt this calendar year, highlighting where he currently stands in Amorim's plans.
Now inside the final 18 months of his contract at Old Trafford, United are in a position where they need to sell the Brazilian before his value plummet's even further. United were understood to have engaged several agents to try and sell him before the bell.
With little point in retaining a player who is not part of the manager's plans, United's efforts to sell him made sense. Despite the window in England closing on Monday, the Turkish window remains open until February 11, meaning that market could still offer Casemiro an escape route.
