Rating every Man United transfer so far this summer – Two signings get 7/10 but two exits get 5/10

Transfers in:

Andrey Santos (Up to £50m from Chelsea)

Santos has looked promising so far in pre-season but he clearly isn’t the finished article and there are also raw elements to his game that need to be ironed out.

The optics of paying £48m + £2m in add-ons for a midfielder who couldn’t get in a team that finished six places below United last season didn’t look good. Especially as it’s only three years since United gave Chelsea £60m for Mason Mount, and that is yet to work out.

United’s calculation is that they can give Santos the first-team exposure that he can’t get at Stamford Bridge, with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez blocking his path. He played 27 Premier League games last season (13 of them starts) and Chelsea fans were generally disappointed to lose him.

As it stands, he could end up as United’s leading midfield signing this summer and that will come with pressure. The data looks good, he has had moments of promise, but he needs to hit the ground running. This signing feels like a gamble. 7/10

Karl Darlow – free transfer

Looks like a sensible acquisition on a free transfer. There is sizeable churn in United’s goalkeeping department this summer and they needed a new No.2. At 35, Darlow comes with experience and he also arrives having played 22 Premier League games for Leeds last season.

He also ticks a box as a homegrown player for Premier League and UEFA squad rules and adds to the experience in the goalkeeping ranks behind Senne Lammens, which could be valuable given the Belgian is still learning on the job.

The one question mark is that this isn’t a long-term deal. Darlow has a two-year deal, but behind Lammens, United now have goalkeepers who are 35 and 40, and they need a plan to bring in a back-up goalkeeper that can stay around for a while. 6/10

Youri Tielemans (£35m from Aston Villa)

Had Tielemans signed a three-year deal then this transfer might score higher, but it’s hard to escape the feeling that a five-year contract for a 29-year-old with an incredible amount of football under his belt is a risk.

In the here and now, Tielemans looks a smart addition. He is proven in the Premier League, is a big-game performer, has just captained Belgium in a World Cup and is excellent on the ball.

Carrick is keen to build a midfield of technical players who are excellent at keeping the ball and Tielemans looks the part. I think he’ll have an excellent start to his United career. The concern is whether he can keep it going over five years. 7/10

Tynan Thompson (Up to £8m from Tottenham Hotspur)

We’ve not yet seen Thompson in action but academy reports on him are good and he is set to get a chance at first-team level this summer.

He continues a trend of United signing players around the age of 18 who are seeing a pathway blocked and offering them the chance to prove themselves at Old Trafford. Ayden Heaven is a prime example of that.

But Heaven cost £1.5million and can lightning strike twice? United paid £4m up front for Thompson, with the same again in add-ons, and he will need game time to make that fee look the bargain that those involved hope it can be. 6/10

Kit Margetson (free transfer – compensation owed to Swansea City)

United have a plethora of young goalkeepers now, and it can be a challenging position to develop in. Elyh Harrison’s momentum has stalled after his first EFL loan went wrong last season.

Margetson had an excellent campaign with Connah’s Quay last season and with a small fee likely, there should be plenty of upside in this deal. 6/10

Transfers out:

Andre Onana (loan to Trabzonspor)

For the second season in a row, Onana is heading to Trabzonspor on loan, and it’s a deal that doesn’t feel like it is doing much for United. They insist they have full wage coverage, but any bonuses in terms of a loan fee depend on the Turkish Super Lig side having a very successful season.

United spent £47million on Onana three years ago but now seem unable to generate any kind of market for him, which shows how poor this deal has been. Signing off a loan back to Trabzonspor so early in the window was an admission of defeat. 5/10

Rasmus Hojlund (£38million to Napoli)

United struck a successful loan deal for Hojlund last summer and he and Napoli have delivered their end of the bargain. Qualification for the Champions League meant the agreed £38m fee was paid.

Hojlund got 12 goals in 33 games in Serie A, so on the face of it this is a good fee. He was never likely to return and play back-up to Benjamin Sesko, although it would have been good to see him in Carrick’s 4-2-3-1 system.

United spent £64m + £8m in potential add-ons on Hojlund three years ago, so while £38m has avoided an accounting loss, it’s another transfer that has clearly failed. 6/10

Sekou Kone (loan to Lausanne-Sport)

There is no getting away from the fact that this feels like a big campaign for Kone.

A switch to Lausanne-Sport in the second half of last season was a damp squib and was ruined by injury, but the links with the Ineos-owned club are clearly trusted by United, who will hope Kone can force his way into the starting XI. 6/10

Tyler Fredricson (undisclosed to Lausanne-Sport)

At 21, Fredricson needs to go and play now, but this is an interesting move. It’s another sign of the closer collaboration between the two clubs with Ineos ownership, although you do wonder if United could have got a bigger fee elsewhere.

They do at least have a sizeable sell-on clause, as well as a buy-back clause, and Fredricson gets the chance to play in the top division of a league with a reasonably high standard. If he kicks on for first-team exposure, United will benefit further down the line. 7/10

Elyh Harrison (loan to Greenock Morton)

When Harrison returned from an impressive loan spell at Chester in January 2025 to train with the United first team, it felt like his career was ready for lift-off, but his first EFL loan at Shrewsbury Town last season was difficult and he hasn’t yet kicked on.

This is a loan move that will take him well out of the public eye to the Scottish Championship and he needs to get his development back on track. It feels disappointing there wasn’t another crack at the EFL for the talented young goalkeeper this season. 5/10