From Casemiro to Antony: Grading Man Utd's summer transfer business

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 13 Feb 2023 19:15 GMT
• 5 min read

Manchester United splashed out more than £200 million last summer to begin the Erik ten Hag era and try to lift the club back to its former glories at the top of the Premier League.

After a shaky start with back-to-back defeats in their first two games, United have grown under Ten Hag, losing just three league matches since and sitting comfortably in the top four.

Although key players such as Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo have departed over the past year, United are slowly transitioning into a superior team and their summer business appears to be paying dividends already.

FootballTransfers takes a look back at United’s six summer signings, grading each on their impact and value for money based on the first few months of their careers at Old Trafford.

BIG BUCKS: Man Utd's ten most expensive transfers of all-time

Grading Man Utd’s summer transfer business

Tyrell Malacia (£14.5m from Feyenoord)

Left-back Tyrell Malacia was the first of Erik ten Hag’s signings upon his arrival in Manchester and the 23-year-old came in as a relatively unknown figure outside of the Netherlands, where he had spent his entire career at Feyenoord.

Fresh off the back of being named in the Europa Conference League team of the season after Feyenoord finished runners up in the competition, Malacia’s £14.5m fee including add-ons left potential to be a shrewd acquisition if he could carry his performances into English football.

Malacia has, so far, been quietly consistent for United without ever really grabbing the headlines, which perhaps is exactly what you want from your left-back and the Dutch international has shared his minutes with Luke Shaw, living up to his teammates standards and providing regular reliability down the left flank.

GRADE: B

Christian Eriksen (free transfer from Brentford)

United continued their smart business by signing Christian Eriksen on a free transfer, a player who undoubtedly would have commanded a bigger fee and perhaps still be playing for Inter Milan were it not for the medical incident he suffered at Euro 2020.

Eriksen proved his fitness and ability in the Premier League with Brentford on a short-term deal in the second half of last season, prompting United to move for the Danish international to bring some much-needed composure and intelligence to their midfield.

The 30-year-old has featured in a deeper midfield role but has still chipped in with seven assists this season, the third-highest of any player, forming an impressive partnership with Casemiro in the process.

GRADE: B

Lisandro Martinez (£57m from Ajax)

The first of United’s big-money signings was Lisandro Martinez and the £57m capture from Ajax raised eyebrows due to his small stature at centre-back compared to the average Premier League defender.

However, the 25-year-old was someone who Ten Hag knew well from his time at Ajax and Martinez had been named the club’s player of the season last year, while bringing an impressive left-footed passing range from defence.

Despite initially a shaky start to his career at United, Martinez has been integral at the heart of Ten Hag’s defence, ousting Harry Maguire from the team and leading Argentina to World Cup success in the process, proving his worth and ability as an elite defender.

GRADE: A-

Casemiro (£70m from Real Madrid)

United moved for Casemiro after humiliating defeats in their opening two Premier League games, landing on the midfielder following the failure to sign Frenkie de Jong and Adrien Rabiot.

The deal was seen as something of a coup given Casemiro’s pedigree and United’s lack of Champions League football but the Brazilian brushed off any doubts surrounding the move, even reportedly telling the club ‘I’ll fix it’ after their poor start to the season.

I'LL FIX THIS: The story behind Casemiro's desire to join United

And fix it he certainly did – the 30-year-old has been nothing short of a revelation, providing the experience and mentality the club have lacked in defensive midfield arguably since the days of Roy Keane and Michael Carrick, cementing his status as a Stretford end favourite along the way.

GRADE: A

Antony (£86m from Ajax)

While most of United’s summer business provided value for money, the club were forced to pay over the top for Antony on deadline day, finally convincing Ajax to part ways with another key player after months of negotiations.

United opted against moving for the Brazilian earlier in the window when his price was lower but they were forced into paying a higher fee for a player who, while talented, was hardly prolific in the Eredivisie under Ten Hag.

Despite scoring in his first three Premier League appearances, Antony has failed to provide a goal contribution in the league since and has yet to show that he will live up to his eyewatering price tag.

GRADE: C-

Martin Dubravka (loan from Newcastle)

Probably a forgotten deal to some, United also completed the loan signing of Martin Dubravka from Newcastle on deadline day to provide competition to David de Gea in goal.

An experienced shot-stopper with proven Premier League credentials, on paper Dubravka was a smart signing but the 34-year-old only played twice in cup competitions, failing to impress in either appearance.

He returned to the Magpies in January after being disappointed with his game-time, being replaced at Old Trafford by another loanee in Jack Butland, making the deal short and largely ineffective.

GRADE: D