While David de Gea may not have walked out of Old Trafford on Monday night with the clean sheet he so desperately craved, the Manchester United goalkeeper would have no doubt breathed a huge sigh of relief as the final whistle was blown and his side collected a much-needed first three points of the season.
The Spaniard has been heavily criticised during the opening weeks of the season, with Dean Henderson's heroics at the City Ground only adding to United supporters' fury. Erik ten Hag is clearly a fan of Henderson, having tried to sign him during his time at Ajax, and so his departure came as something of a surprise, even if it is only a temporary move.
For 65% of the over 32,000 United fans who have voted in our "Good Deal or Bad Deal?" series so far, 17,000 believe Henderson’s season-long departure from Old Trafford was poor business by United and that he should have been kept at the club.
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This summer has been a difficult one for United fans as the club continues a pattern of poor recruitment, and the approval ratings for various deals done reflect that. Whether the recent signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid can offset some of the negative emotions surrounding this window remains to be seen.
The signing of Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez on a five-year contract received only 55% approval. The centre-back’s 5ft 9in stature has been the subject of debate since his arrival in the Premier League and after his torrid attempts to deal with the height and strength of Brentford and Brighton, that subject has become inflamed.
That being said, he bounced back with a superb display against Liverpool and so fans could soon warm to the Argentina international. De Telegraaf journalist Mike Verweij reported that Ajax were shocked at the staggering offer put up by United for a 1.75m centre-back.
Interestingly, the release of Jesse Lingard proved more divisive than Paul Pogba's exit, despite the Frenchman walking away for nothing after an underwhelming six-year stay after arriving for a record transfer fee. Slightly over 65% of fans agreed Lingard's release was a Good Deal, while nearly 80% backed Pogba's.
It is not all doom and gloom, however. Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia both received high approval rates, with 88% and 85% respectively agreeing that the pair's arrival at Old Trafford was a sign of good business.
Still, for most United fans, this summer’s disappointing transfer window is a microcosm of a decade-long failure in the transfer market and an urgent sign a change in ownership and recruitment processes are needed. United’s link and then subsequent volte-face from Marko Arnautović, followed by the Adrien Rabiot failure and Antony rejection, has only exacerbated matters.
The deal for Casemiro is, in many ways, a coup for United and a potential for the window to not be viewed as a total exercise in chaos. Yet, on a fundamental level, the signing of another player over the age of 30 (for no small fee) to paper over self-inflicted cracks in a squad is indicative of the short-termism that has defined much of United’s recent transfer business.
Keep using our "Good Deal or Bad Deal?" widget below to have your say on United's summer business. And don't forget to explain your reasoning in the comments section.
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