Signing second-choice goalkeepers is rarely glamorous—and Karl Darlow’s acquisition proved no different.

After growing weary of André Onana and Altay Bayındır’s error-laden performances, United have been forced to reshuffle their goalkeeping department, and Darlow was signed as backup on a free transfer during the most recent transfer window.

So far, the Wales international has donned the gloves for just one competitive appearance, hardly covering himself in glory as United slumped to a dismal 3–2 defeat at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 36-year-old will be limited to outings in the domestic cups, meaning United supporters are unlikely to see much of him before his contract expires in 2028.

It’s still early days for Andrey Santos, who only arrived for $64.3 million in July, but the early signs suggest he’s likely to be fourth-choice in United’s new-look midfield.

Santos has started just three competitive appearances since moving to Manchester and appears set to fulfil a peripheral role similar to that endured at former club Chelsea.

The 22-year-old is an all-rounder capable of making a difference for United, adding depth and potential to Michael Carrick’s roster, but whether he can live up to his billing with inconsistent minutes remains to be seen.

Right now, it’s just too early to tell how his United career will pan out.

Youri Tielemans was an opportunistic and clever addition. For just $47 million, United were signing a midfielder with Premier League experience, technical craft and at least several years remaining at the top level.

The Belgian, who was tipped by many as the best value-for-money signing of last summer, has made an unconvincing start to his United career, however, with his lack of mobility and physicality hardly complementing the skillset of Kobbie Mainoo.

Tielemans needs more opportunities to adapt at Old Trafford, but it’s already clear that United will struggle if they continue to partner him with Mainoo in the double pivot.

Perhaps that was an oversight when United signed Tielemans, but the 29-year-old should still come good over the coming weeks and months.

Wilcox entered his first summer in charge with one mission: completely reinvent an underperforming United offense. One key position that required strengthening was center forward, with the club willing to gamble on Slovenian talent Benjamin Šeško.

Having seen Rasmus Højlund and Joshua Zirkzee stumble before him, the pressure was on Šeško to hit the ground running.

While his debut season in England was hardly flawless—Šeško took time to settle and was repeatedly hindered by injury issues—there were plenty of encouraging signs. Scoring 11 goals in the Premier League, despite starting just 17 of his 30 appearances, helped ease initial concerns.

Šeško’s speed, physicality and clutch strikes endeared him to the United crowd and hinted at his $89 million price tag being justified.

Finding consistency and staying injury-free are the next steps for the 23-year-old en route to greatness.

United were patient when it came to signing Carlos Baleba from Brighton. After being quoted over $135 million for the midfielder in the summer of 2025, the Red Devils declined those demands and instead waited until that valuation dropped.

In the 2026 summer window, they finally got their man for $96 million.

Baleba arrived at Old Trafford with an injury which delayed his debut until after the first international break of the season, but there’s no doubt he’s exactly the kind of midfielder Carrick needs to bolster his engine room.

With endless stamina, enviable defensive intelligence and uncanny ability to regain possession no matter the circumstance, he should prove to be one of United’s most successful signings of recent years.

While he can’t be properly assessed so early in his United career, Baleba could prove a transformative addition.

Matheus Cunha’s debut season with United was not without its hiccups, especially considering the $85 million paid to Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the Brazilian ultimately made himself at home.

One difficulty for Cunha was an ever-changing role. He started as a central striker, before dropping into an attacking midfield position. Once Carrick arrived to replace Ruben Amorim, he was shunted over to the left wing.

Naturally, Cunha took time adapting, but there remained plenty of terrific individual performances littered throughout the season. He finished up with 10 goals and two assists in the Premier League and ended the term with three strikes in his final four outings.

There still remain question marks over where Cunha fits in at United, especially when the club inevitably signs an orthodox left winger, but his recruitment has proven successful thus far.

Similar to Cunha, things were not always straightforward for Bryan Mbeumo in year one at United. The $96 million winger endured some sticky spells, chiefly his final few months of the campaign, but still managed to be a regular provider of goals.

As a right winger or center forward—the latter a position in which he played regularly under Carrick—Mbeumo’s tenacity and goal threat ensured he was a constant nuisance for opposition defenses.

Whether he has merited such a large transfer fee is arguable and will be determined within the coming seasons, but he certainly improved United’s misfiring attack significantly.

With 12 goals in his first year and a further three so far this term, Mbeumo has delivered what was promised following several impressive campaigns with Brentford.

There were understandable fears when United chose to replace the mistake-prone Onana with Senne Lammens—someone who was unknown outside of Belgium, where he was representing Royal Antwerp.

But United clearly saw something in the stopper and parted ways with $24.5 million late in Wilcox’s first summer window. Any fears over his competence were quickly allayed.

Lammens proved an immediate upgrade on Onana as his self-assured, composed performances with both his hands and feet won him admirers. Instead of costing United points, their goalkeeper was actually starting to win them some.

There are still elements of Lammens’s game that require cleaning up, notably his distribution under pressure, but there have been few better value signings made by United over the past decade—based on his first campaign at the club, at least.