Manchester United may have made some mistakes in the transfer window, but not a lot of attention has been given so far to the ‘loans out’ section of business, in which twelve players were sent off in search of experience and game time elsewhere.
However, so far, some of those loan decisions are looking almost as disastrous as more high-profile cock ups such as the Jadon Sancho negotiations, as many of the loanees are simply not getting to play much at their temporary homes.
Granted, it is early days for some, such as Andreas Pereira, who was unavailable for selection for the one match he could have played for Lazio due to illness, and Di’Shon Bernard, who has not had the opportunity to play for Salford City.
Diogo Dalot started his AC Milan career as an unused substitute in their 2-1 victory in the Milan derby.
Tahith Chong had a bright pre-season for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga but after being named in the starting eleven for the first league match of the season, which Bremen lost 4-1, he has spent most of the time warming the bench, with three sub appearances and most recently as an unused sub.
Joel Pereira’s loan to Huddersfield is looking like another miscalculation, as he has been reserve keeper for the six games he has been at the club.
James Garner has fared better at Watford, starting three out of five games for the Hornets, but he is being played out of position as a holding midfielder so it is not ideal for him.
Aliou Traore played two games for Caen before being relegated to the B side. Meanwhile Max Haygarth is playing for Brentford’s B team and Max Taylor and Jacob Carney are getting games, but in the National League North – hardly the level that will allow them to kick on.
Even Dylan Levitt is struggling to establish himself as a regular in League One side Charlton Athletic, having started three and been on the bench for three.
Matej Kovar is the only loanee that has got good experience under his belt so far, having kept goal in all seven of Swindon Town’s games.
Whilst United might be saving some pennies off the wage bill by loaning players out, it is imperative that players are loaned to clubs who will provide sufficient game time for them.
If they do not, then the players would be better staying at Old Trafford to work with the top coaches at the club’s disposal. They would also get chances to impress in competitions such as the Carabao Cup.
The lack of action so far for most of this group begs the question as to how well the loan moves were researched and negotiated by United or whether it was a case of hurriedly shipping them off without really considering the implications of each loan.
The appointment of a Director of Football would certainly be a consideration again in this instance and could be vital in making the right kind of decision that will give loanees the best chance of success as they try to get their careers under way.
This summer’s transfer window was at times frustrating and disappointing. So cast your mind back to less stressful days and test your knowledge of past United arrivals and departures in our quiz below.