It’s fair to say Manchester United had a transfer window to forget.
For weeks, if not months, it looked as though they would announce the signing of Jadon Sancho.
However, Borussia Dortmund held out for £100m and it was a fee Ed Woodward was reluctant to pay.
It wasn’t the only big name United were linked with during the window that they failed to sign.
The club did eventually add Donny van de Beek to their ranks for £35m before deadline day moves for Alex Telles and Edinson Cavani.
But what about the players they failed to buy?
Well, the Mirror have looked at the club’s eight main transfer targets of the summer and analysed how they’re getting on this season.
Let’s take a look:
Jadon Sancho
Perhaps the constant transfer rumours surrounding him with a move to Man Utd has affected Sancho with the Englishman yet to score in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund this season, while he’s got just one in the Champions League. There’s no doubt the 20-year-old is still a superstar.
Jude Bellingham
The 17-year-old has just been called up to the England squad thanks to his start to life at Dortmund. He scored on his debut in Germany and is probably seeing more gametime than even he expected at this early stage.
Jack Grealish
Grealish appears to have taken his game to the next level during the 2020/21 season, epitomised by his performance during Aston Villa’s 3-0 victory over Arsenal last weekend. He's currently the second highest-rated player in the Premier League this season, according to WhoScored. United really should have pushed harder to sign him.
James Maddison
Maddison was something of a ‘Plan B’ to Grealish but didn’t sign either. The Leicester midfielder has struggled with injury at the start of this season but still looks a real talent.
Declan Rice
Chelsea were the front-runners to sign the West Ham star but the London club held firm. The 21-year-old has made a really strong start to the season and will surely command an even bigger fee next summer.
Ben Chilwell
Solskjaer eventually settled for Alex Telles, a far cheaper alternative to Chilwell who signed for Chelsea in a £45 million. Chilwell has made a superb start to his career in west London.
Dayot Upamecano
How United desperately need a new defender. Upamecano would have been perfect. However, he hasn’t made the best start to the 2020/21 campaign and was embarrassed by Marcus Rashford and co. as United beat RB Leipzig 5-0 in the Champions League.
Ousmane Dembele
Dembele became a shock last-minute target for United when it became clear they weren’t going to sign Sancho. The winger appears to be getting over his injury problems at the Camp Nou and has already scored three times this season - two of which came in the Champions League.
