Manchester United are likely to enter the summer transfer window without a permanent manager in place
Manchester United will likely need to bring in several new signings to their squad this summer. Without a permanent manager in place, the club are poised to appoint their next long-term boss and support whoever they select in the transfer market to put their own mark on the team.
With finances tight, the club could explore free agents to enhance quality and squad depth. Recruiting players who are unattached could be a strategic gamble for the Premier League giants.
United have traditionally depended on academy products and emerging talents to strengthen their squad, though this approach may shift in the coming months.
Michael Carrick has brought fresh optimism to Old Trafford, securing four victories from five games since his interim return, and supporters have been demanding his temporary head coach position be made permanent once the 2025/26 campaign ends.
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However, with numerous uncertainties in the United dressing room, the club’s leadership may prefer to wait before making a permanent appointment.
Free agents could prove United’s salvation during this transitional phase. Here, Manchester Evening News revisits some of United’s biggest free transfer signings.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
Michael Owen
Michael Owen sent shockwaves through football when he joined United following the expiry of his Newcastle contract in 2009. The former Liverpool hero, who secured the 2001 Ballon d’Or whilst at Anfield, caused considerable controversy by signing a two-year agreement with their fierce rivals.
Making matters worse, Ferguson handed Owen the club’s legendary number seven jersey.
The 29-year-old striker had found it difficult to recapture his finest form since leaving Liverpool and had suffered relegation with Newcastle the season before. Nevertheless, Owen’s instinct for finding the net remained sharp.
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The ex-England international struck a memorable 4-3 winner against Manchester City and also found the target as United beat Aston Villa in the 2010 League Cup final. Following a promising first campaign, Owen featured sufficiently to secure a Premier League winner’s medal in 2011, but his opportunities diminished before he left United in 2012.
He found the back of the net 17 times in 52 outings for the club.
Victor Valdes
In 2014, United made a statement by securing Barcelona legend Victor Valdes as cover for David De Gea. The shot-stopper had been without a team for several months whilst rehabilitating from a knee injury after departing Barcelona, and ultimately signed an 18-month contract with United in January 2015.
Valdes secured six La Liga titles and three Champions League medals with his boyhood club and was familiar with United manager Louis van Gaal from their time together at Camp Nou. After completing his rehabilitation from a knee injury at United, the 32-year-old was content to challenge De Gea and made his first team bow in May.
Nevertheless, Valdes was subsequently transfer-listed following reports that he had declined to feature in a reserve fixture. The Spain international managed only two outings for the club before moving to Standard Liege on loan in January 2016 and subsequently joining newly-promoted Middlesbrough on a free transfer.
Paul Scholes
One of the most remarkable decisions during Sir Alex Ferguson’s legendary managerial tenure was persuading Paul Scholes to return from retirement. The midfielder had drawn the curtain on his career at the conclusion of the 2010/11 season but made a sensational return, entering as a substitute in an FA Cup triumph over Manchester City in January 2012.
Scholes’ comeback was announced just an hour before the Manchester derby as United battled an injury crisis, with Darren Fletcher and Tom Cleverley unavailable. Ferguson remained convinced Scholes had retired too early, and his assessment proved correct as the midfielder appeared 21 times that campaign.
The midfielder signed a contract extension and was part of the United squad that clinched the Premier League in Ferguson’s final season in charge before retiring permanently.
Edinson Cavani
United secured former PSG star Edinson Cavani on transfer deadline day in October 2020, several months following his exit from the French side. The then 33-year-old had become PSG’s all-time leading scorer during his seven-year tenure in Paris, scoring 200 goals in 301 appearances.
Upon arriving at Old Trafford, Cavani was given the legendary number seven shirt and would have hoped to mirror his former colleague Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant influence on the club a few years earlier. Cavani scored 17 goals in his first season as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team finished second in the Premier League and lost the Europa League final on penalties.
Unfortunately for Cavani, who had extended his contract in May 2021, United were unable to build on that momentum as Solskjaer was replaced by interim manager Ralf Rangnick that December.
The Uruguayan striker had surrendered his number seven shirt to a returning Cristiano Ronaldo and saw his playing time significantly reduced before leaving the club in the summer of 2022.