Manchester United's transfer activity has gone quiet, but that needs to change in the final days of the window. The club still wants to sign a left-back and a backup for Benjamin Sesko, though whether either objective is achieved before the deadline remains to be seen.
With United potentially set for a busy few days, Q&A sessions have been run to give fans the chance to ask questions. Here are the answers to some of this week's questions.
Why are United buying cheap players?
One fan asked why United are buying cheap players rather than spending big like Tottenham and Arsenal. Since taking control of football operations, Sir Jim Ratcliffe's team have been keen to move away from the days of blockbuster transfers. That is not to say United will never spend over £100 million on a player, but their record signing (Paul Pogba for £89 million in 2016) could go untroubled for a few more seasons.
United were never likely to spend so much on one player this summer, with a complete overhaul of the midfield required and numerous other areas of the squad needing to be addressed. History suggests United tend to go big in the summer transfer window when they have not qualified for the Champions League in a bid to get back into the competition. With a top-three place secured last season, this summer was always more likely to see a leaner spend than the £225 million of last summer.
When are United signing a left-back?
Another fan asked directly when United are signing a left-back. United should have gone all out for Lewis Hall, according to the response. Whether the Newcastle left-back would have been open to a move is unclear, but there was a real lack of ambition shown by United to not properly test the waters at least.
United do want to sign a left-back, but the price will have to be right. The arrival of Carlos Baleba this week was a timely reminder that the decision-makers at the club are not afraid to walk away from a deal if they do not think it represents value for money, as they did with Baleba last summer.
Will Mainoo still get minutes with Baleba around?
Two questions were grouped together as they both made a similar point. One asked why Mainoo is not played regularly, and another asked whether Mainoo will still be relevant and getting a fair share of minutes with Baleba around. The response disagreed with the premise, noting that Mainoo and Baleba are very different players and there is no reason to think a midfield pairing of Mainoo and Baleba won't be seen this season.
On the question of why Mainoo isn't playing regularly, he only returned to pre-season training under three weeks ago and was never really in contention to start the opening day defeat to Hull. He came on midway through the second half at the MKM Stadium and is in contention to start on Sunday. Mainoo is the present and future of United's midfield, so plenty of him will be seen.
Left-back cover and a backup for Sesko
One fan warned that all the good work could be undone if United don't get a left-back as cover for Luke Shaw, because Harry Amass is nowhere near the level needed. The response said it wouldn't go as far as to say all the work this summer will be undone if United don't sign a left-back, but they really do need to bring one in before the window closes. The lack of urgency is alarming, especially given Luke Shaw's injury record. Granted he stayed fit all last season, but this season's congested fixture schedule makes a new left-back a must.
As for the suggestion of signing Mateta at Palace as the perfect experienced backup for Sesko, the response said it would certainly make a lot of sense. At 29 he does not represent the typical profile of player Ineos would target, but the same could be said about Youri Tielemans. The whole point of United signing another striker would be to bring in someone with experience to take the pressure off Sesko. Mateta wants out of Palace and there would likely be a deal to be done given he will leave for free next summer if he is not offloaded. It makes a lot of sense, but trying to bring Danny Welbeck back to Old Trafford would have made a lot of sense too, and what happened (or didn't happen) there is well known.
