Overview
With only one major signing made by Moyes, this summer has to go down as something of a failure for Manchester United. Fellaini will certainly be a good addition, but it could be argued that a player in the mould of Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara, Kevin Strootman, Ander Herrera, or any of the other numerous names linked with the club over the summer, would have been more suitable and more of a direct solution to United’s midfield problems.
The club have come under some criticism for their failure to seal these deals, and they could perhaps have done with some better wingers being brought in, with the likes of Nani, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia all massively under-performing last season. Nicolas Gaitain of Benfica and Ardan Turan of Atletico Madrid were also said to be targets for the Red Devils, but again they didn’t manage to bring these players in. Wilfried Zaha, of course, was signed back in January before being loaned back to Crystal Palace for the remainder of last season. He now joins up with the United squad and may go on to be the answer in that position.
Defence is also an area that could have done with some strengthening, with Rio Ferdinand close to turning 35, and Nemanja Vidic struggling with injuries all too often in recent years. Patrice Evra also looks past his best, and it is well known that Leighton Baines was another target for Moyes from his old club Everton, though United’s continued unwillingness to meet the Toffees’ asking price for the player saw them miss out on the England international. A loan move for Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao also fell through late on, completing an embarrassing summer of near-misses for the Premier League champions.
Total spending: £29.8m.
Overall score: 4/10.