Manchester United spent over €200 million on new signings in the summer transfer market and fans have had a just few months to evaluate their performances.
That’s a significant amount of money for a club looking to make cost cuts with fan services and ticket pricing impacted heavily.
We have ranked all signings made in the summer, although Malian youngster Sekou Kone is excluded due to having not made his Manchester United first-team debut yet.
That means the focus is on five players – Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Noussair Mazraoui, Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte – who were all signed before Erik ten Hag was sacked.
Without further ado, here is how United in Focus ranks United’s summer signings from five to one.
5 – Leny Yoro
First off, Yoro has played few few minutes of football this season due to injury, so fans haven’t had the opportunity to see very much of their new centre-back, who Amorim touted Yoro as a generational talent.
Yoro missed the start of the season after sustaining a metatarsal injury during pre-season. He made his debut off the bench in the 2-0 defeat against Arsenal and started the next game as United suffered another loss versus Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
It’s not the start the 19-year-old would’ve wanted, although there’s a lot of excitement around the fact United hijacked Real Madrid’s move for Yoro.
I suspect Yoro will be ranked higher at the end of the season when this list will be reviewed.
4 – Joshua Zirkzee
After scoring a winner on his debut against Fulham, Zirkzee has struggled to settle at United, scoring just 3 goals in 21 appearances.
Most fans would argue that they’re unsure of Zirkzee’s best role in the team. Is he a 9, 10, or something in the middle?
It’s early days and every player that signs for United deserves time to adjust their game.
Zirkzee’s best performance came in the 4-0 win over Everton when he scored a brace. The Netherlands will be hoping to add many more to his tally before the end of the season and prove that he belongs.
3 – Matthijs de Ligt
Although I would give De Ligt the benefit of the doubt, after coming into a struggling side, the former Bayern Munich centre-back has not been that much of an upgrade on Harry Maguire.
Manchester United have kept nine clean sheets from the 20 appearances made by De Ligt thus far this season, but injuries have led to a mash-up of multiple backlines.
De Ligt can improve over time, but so must United’s overall defence.
2 – Manuel Ugarte
The Uruguay international had a slow start to life at United. A few questionable performances led to Ugarte being overlooked by the man who signed him, Erik ten Hag, but he found a new lease of life under Ruud van Nistelrooy before Ruben Amorim’s arrival.
Ugarte is now working with a manager he has enjoyed success under in Portugal, with Amorim set to make him a key feature in the middle of the pitch. He does a job that doesn’t get spoken out unless he is at fault, but Ugarte is growing into his role at United and should improve throughout the season.
Hopefully, Kobbie Mainoo can stay fit and they form a formidable partnership in midfield.
1 – Noussair Mazraoui
United’s best signing of the summer.
You know what you are going to get from Mazraoui when he plays – no matter what position or role he is given.
The Morocco international is an 8/10 player every week at the very least.
Mazraoui has brought a level of consistency to United’s defence that hasn’t been seen in a player for a long time and he’s efficient going forward with the ball.
So far, Mazraoui is one of Amorim’s most important players, along with Amad Diallo.
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