Man United sporting director Dan Ashworth is “pleased” with the business the club has conducted after spending £219 million on new players in the summer transfer window.
The Red Devils were very busy in the market as they completed 32 deals in total. That included a new contract for club captain Bruno Fernandes, which he says was a “crucial part of the transfer strategy”.
“I like the squad, I have to say,” Ashworth said ahead of Sunday’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool. “I probably would say that after the business we’ve done in the summer.
“I’ve probably done 25 windows now and have been doing this for a fair period of time. I don’t think there’s ever been a window where we’ve gone, ‘Oh God, it’s gone absolutely perfectly, we’ve done every single in, we’ve done every single out we wanted to do’.
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“But in the main, the target positions we wanted to strengthen, the players we’ve brought in, the depth and options when everybody is fully fit, I’m pleased with that.”
Man United spent big on Manuel Ugarte (£42m), Leny Yoro (£52m), Matthijs de Ligt (£42m) and Joshua Zirkzee (£36.5m) to fill needs in the playing squad, while Noussair Mazraoui (£13m) replaced the departing Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Add-ons could see four of those fees rise.
“They were the four key positions we really wanted to strengthen in this window and we’ve done that,” Ashworth said.
One of the club’s goals in the summer was to downsize the squad to bring down the wage bill and help bring them in line with the limits set by the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Eight sales saw them earn around £106m, bringing their net spend to £113m. Scott McTominay was one of the more contentious exits, with manager Erik ten Hag preferring to hold onto the Scottish midfielder, but his £25m move to Napoli paved the way for Ugarte’s arrival.
“Sometimes you have to be quite brave and make decisions that maybe you don’t want to make, but you can’t have a bloated squad,” said Ashworth.
Man United’s goal is to make consistently smart deals in the coming years so they aren’t left with expensive mistakes, such as Casemiro and Antony, who cost the club a combined £149m in transfer fees.
“It’s not just as simple as being able to change everybody, nor do we want to,” said Ashworth. “It’s just about making good decisions in the next few windows to maximise our resources and the talent we’ve already put in the squad.”
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