Manchester United spent more than £200million during the summer transfer window, but the winter has mostly been about getting players off the books
Michael Carrick watching Manchester United's win against Fulham
Michael Carrick has yet to add to his Manchester United squad(Image: Getty Images)
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It has been an eventful window for Manchester United, just not in the way some might have anticipated. Ruben Amorim made way as manager less than halfway into January, with Michael Carrick starting his interim tenure with three wins on the spin.
While Carrick is making a case to take the job on a permanent basis, his arrival means there hasn't been much January activity in regards to new signings. However, this doesn't mean United haven't offloaded some players before deadline day.
The first sale of the window came as a bit of a surprise. It might not have been that surprising to see academy graduate Sam Mather depart after failing to break into the first team, but the destination - Turkish club Kayserispor - was more of a shock.
Mather, 21, made his Super Lig debut as a late substitute against Istanbul Basaksehir in January and is one of two Englishmen to join Kayserispor in the window, along with former Manchester City prospect Jadel Katongo. For a while, he was United's only permanent winter sale, but that number would eventually increase.
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Like Mather, Rhys Bennett and Joe Hugill have used the winter window to complete permanent exits. Both have made the bench for Premier League matches - defender Bennett twice under Erik ten Hag and forward Hugill once in 2023 (and a couple of times in the Champions League the same year).
Bennett spent the 2024/25 season on loan at Fleetwood Town and has now joined the League Two side permanently. Hugill, who was on loan at Barnet for the first half of this season, has moved north of the border to join Kilmarnock.
Harry Amass playing for Norwich against Coventry
United have sent Harry Amass on loan to Norwich(Image: Getty Images)
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Two men who have picked up senior minutes for United saw their loan destinations changed midway through the campaign. Harry Amass was recalled from rock bottom Sheffield Wednesday and sent to fellow Championship side Norwich City, while Toby Collyer will spend the second half of the season with promotion-chasing Hull after being brought back from West Brom.
United continue to be linked with new additions, despite not having a permanent manager in place. It may well be that those signings have to wait until the summer, but they have surprised us before.
A new central midfielder is a must, given the confirmation that Casemiro will leave at the end of the season. Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton remain the three names most loudly linked, and none will come cheap.
Amid reports that United failed with an attempted hijack of Liverpool's Jeremy Jacquet pursuit, a new centre-back could also be on the way amid uncertainty over Harry Maguire's future. There has also been noise around a move for Cole Palmer after the Chelsea and England star was said to be homesick.
If we're to see deadline day movement, though, it could be in the form of another sale. Carrick has played down suggestions United will cash in on Joshua Zirkzee this month, but a potential suitor could test the water with a late bid.