Three players Manchester United will regret not signing after £228m transfer window

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Manchester United backed manager Ruben Amorim in the summer transfer window, spending over £200m on three attackers but perhaps neglecting the defensive positions.

Benjamin Sesko (£73m), Matheus Cunha (£62.5m) and Bryan Mbeumo (£71m) all signed in a summer where Amorim was tasked with building a United squad without the lure of European football.

Goalkeeper Senne Lammens joined late on deadline day to support Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir, and young defender Diego Leon was added to the ranks, but there were no major midfield or defensive signings.

Here, TBR Football look at Amorim’s squad and identify three signings who could have made United stronger this summer.

Emiliano Martinez missed transfer could come back to cost Manchester United, Andre Onana absence a key factor

With Andre Onana on the bench, Altay Bayindir has struggled so far this season with a major gaffe in Manchester United’s defeat to Arsenal.

United looked at a late move for Aston Villa’s World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez, but ultimately decided on a more long-term addition of Senne Lammens.

Time will tell whether that choice pays off, but Martinez, 32, would have offered an instant presence in goal for Ruben Amorim that United desperately lack at the moment.

Onana, still to fully assert himself in goal for United, will also miss around a month for the 2025 African Cup of Nations. That will leave Lammens, Bayindir and Tom Heaton as United’s senior goalkeeping options.

Carlos Baleba could have been worth the money for Manchester United, Brighton transfer stance was always clear

Manchester United were strongly linked with Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba throughout the summer, however he would have required a significant transfer fee and United had to be mindful of their finances this summer without Champions League football.

Brighton were adamant that they would not sell Baleba – but his presence in midfield would have solved a major problem for Amorim, who has not strengthened his central options this summer.

At the back, United have now gone two transfer windows without providing Amorim with a specialist wing-back to suit his 5-3-2 system, while Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite was linked with a move early on and would have offered a more solid base in the middle of defence.

As it stands, United must go through the season with the same defence and midfield that stumbled to a 15th-placed finish last season.