Internal frustrations simmer at Old Trafford as failed departures blocked a move for attacking reinforcements, leaving the squad vulnerable to fatigue behind star forward Benjamin Sesko.
Manchester United bounced back from their loss to Hull City with a 5-2 hammering of Ipswich Town in the Red Devils first game at Old Trafford this season.
The focus will now fully be on building on the on-field success after the transfer window ended with the club bringing in Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans, Carlos Baleba and Karl Darlow as senior signings.
So far, both Santos and Tielemans have featured in the League, with the latter starting both games this season. However, Baleba has spent some time on the sidelines but is due to return to training in the near future following an ankle injury he picked up for Brighton in August.
With that being said, there are still frustrations with certain missed targets in key positions that have left United short in certain areas.
United’s squad wanted a striker
Both left-back and striker were very clear holes in the squad. The club only has Luke Shaw as a senior left-back due to Patrick Dorgu being used as a winger. Aside from Benjamin Sesko, the only striker was Joshua Zirkzee, but he had fallen behind Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo as options to deputise for the Slovenian.
While Lewis Hall was the clear ideal target at left-back, there were never any major concrete links for a striker. Danny Welbeck was the most straightforward target, but after his move to Chelsea, it felt unlikely the club would go for anyone else.
Laurie Whitwell revealed that the Manchester United squad wanted another striker brought in to rotate with Sesko and to allow Cunha and Mbeumo to play in the best positions.
The only way this would have been possible was if Zirkzee had departed the club, but after his moves to Serie A and Everton collapsed, any chance of making a striker signing went away with it.
January window will be essential
Despite staying for now, it feels as though a move away, either in January or next summer, will be where Zirkzee's future lies. United will be playing extra games that suit his playstyle, but they will not be enough minutes to satisfy the Dutchman's desire for more minutes.
If he were to leave in January, that would make the winter window essential, as the club cannot place the entire load on the shoulders of Sesko, as they risk his body breaking down due to tiredness or fatigue, as we have seen time and time again at Manchester United.
Not only for the striker position, but if anything major were to happen to Shaw and the club lacks any real consistent back-up, an emergency loan for a fullback could be key for the Red Devils to hopefully keep fighting on all fronts.
Louis Page was also a deal the club explored right to the very end of the deadline, but were unable to agree on a fee with Leicester, and this will become essential to complete in January to prevent potential competition from luring him away if he starts the season well for the Foxes.
