Amrabat and Reguilon IN: How Man Utd line up after Deadline Day
FT Desk
- Updated: 1 Sept 2023 21:43 BST
- 4 min read
The transfer drama at Old Trafford continued deep into deadline day.
Hours before the window's close Manchester United swooped to add another two player to their already bulging squad.
Morocco's World Cup hero Sofyan Amrabat will arrive on a loan deal from Fiorentina, finally concluding a long pursuit for the midfielder.
READ: Man Utd in talks over Bruno Fernandes 2.0
And ex-Real Madrid youngster Sergio Reguilon is also heading to Manchester on a temporary switch, moving across the Premier League from Tottenham.
Add back-up goalkeeper Altay Bayindir to the equation and United have made a total of three deadline-day transfers, bringing their total number of summer arrivals to seven.
But where, if anywhere, will the new boys fit in Erik ten Hag's plans?
Valuable defensive depth
Reguilon is a natural left-sided defender and as such has an obvious mandate in the United system.
With Luke Shaw facing almost three months on the sidelines after going down to a thigh injury in August against Tottenham, the Spaniard will slot straight in to the left-back position filled by Diogo Dalot during the club's last outing, a thrilling 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest.
Dalot will presumably move back to the right, where he starts slightly behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka in Ten Hag's pecking order.
In the middle, meanwhile, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez remain the manager's logical first-choice pairing, though the former is also expected to miss several weeks of action.
In his absence Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire (unless United can offload him in the final moments of the deadline) and even veteran Jonny Evans will battle for minutes, but once back to full fitness Varane will be key to the Reds' plans.
A midfield bulwark
Amrabat, meanwhile, promises to give United one of the Premier League's most formidable midfield axes.
The Morocco star will serve as a foil for Casemiro in the engine room, adding much-needed steel in the position which will allow those further up the pitch the confidence and freedom to push towards goal.
Just who those will be on any given day is not quite certain given United's depth in certain attacking positions, though it can be said with some security that Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes at least are untouchables in Ten Hag's strongest XI.
Mason Mount looks to have the edge over Antony to start, while another new signing, Rasmus Hojlund, is now at full fitness and should get the nod to lead the line ahead of Anthony Martial, who went goalless over United's first three league outings.
With the likes of Martial, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri on the bench there will be no lack of competition for those spots, however, leaving United (on paper at least) in good stead for the season to come.
