Manchester United have been busy in the January transfer window but not in the way a lot of their fans expected them to be.
The club's hierarchy should be praised for trimming the squad but with so many fixtures still to play they could end up regretting allowing the likes of Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek to leave on loan.
With the winter window now closed, the United On My Mind team have all had their say on how they feel about United's mid-season business.
Omar Garrick - A mixed bag
I'm going to start with the positives. Firstly, I think United have done well to get rid of some players in the January transfer window.
The club made it clear that their focus would be on shipping players out after multiple reports of dressing room discontent which led to a divided squad. It was evident that some players needed to leave.
The one player I thought deserved better was Van de Beek considering all of the excitement that surrounded his arrival in 2020. However, his £40m signing just hasn't worked out and so I can see the reasoning behind offering him the chance to play regular football.
Newly appointed Everton boss Frank Lampard might not be the most experienced manager but if anyone can take a progressive midfielder under their wing and get the best out of them then it’s the former Chelsea goal machine.
The lack of a central-midfield signing is really worrying and not signing a top-class number six in the mid-season window could come back to haunt United.
Anil Kandola- A positive window
There’s nothing more fun than your team being embroiled in a transfer saga but sometimes you have to be reasonable.
January is a tough time to get decent deals done and so maybe it’s not such a bad thing that United are saving themselves until the summer window.
The players that have left the club are all in need of a change of scenery and hopefully the likes of Martial and Van de Beek can revitalise their respective careers. The fact United haven't signed anyone initially seems disappointing but it could be viewed as a positive.
Ralf Rangnick has been appointed on an interim basis and very rarely do temporary managers sign new players. Although he will still be at United beyond the summer in a consultancy role, it seems a wise move to resist the temptation of making a big-money signing who then doesn’t fit into the next manager’s plans.
Rangnick has made decisions in the best interest of the club and resisting bringing in short-term fixes will help the club in the long run.
Mike Parrott - A youthful look
United have ended the January transfer window without making a signing once again.
However, unlike a lot of other January windows, the club have taken the chance to ship out some of the players deemed surplus to requirements.
Van de Beek and Martial have both been given the chance to rebuild confidence away from Old Trafford, Axel Tuanzebe has secured a move that should hopefully see him earn more regular minutes, while Teden Mengi and Amad should hopefully fast-track their development instead of being starved of competitive football.
The likes of Hannibal Mejbri, Anthony Elanga and Shola Shoretire should hopefully get more of a look-in with United’s squad now trimmed. We might even see a few cameos from the likes of Alvaro Fernandez, Joe Hugill and Charlie McNeill.
It will be interesting to see how these players perform under pressure if they are given a chance and United's academy could have a huge say in whether the club qualifies for next season's Champions League.
United will obviously want to make additions to their squad in the summer, most likely in the form of a certain West Ham midfielder, but the remainder of the season could be a chance for a number of youngsters to stake their claim to become regulars in the United first-team set-up.
Are you happy with United's January business? Follow our United On My Mind team members Omar Garrick, Anil Kandola and Mike Parrott on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.
