Manchester United only have 2 successes from 12 deadline day signings

Manchester United have signed 12 players on deadline day before and not so many have been successful at Old Trafford.

The Reds are approaching the transfer window closure and Erik ten Hag is still looking for more signings.

Whilst an agreement in principle has been made for the signing of Antony from Ajax, they still need to complete that deal.

Reports also say that Ten Hag is keen to get a back-up goalkeeper into the squad. Martin Dubravka is closing in on a move.

It has also been revealed that United are keeping tabs on strikers in case Cristiano Ronaldo exits the club before the window shuts.

This all seems to set up a busy deadline day for United and Ten Hag. The window will shut on Thursday (Sep 1) at 23:00 BST.

United's previous deadline day signings

United are not shy to doing late business in windows, especially of late, with five of the 12 coming in the last two years.

However, many of these signings cannot be considered successes, with just two being top players at the club.

Of course, Ronaldo is the latest signing to (re)join United on deadline day. He scored 18 goals in his first season back with the club.

Despite the strong numbers, his transfer fiasco this summer has made it near impossible to call the signing an overwhelming success, especially considering his goals came in one of United's worst Premier League campaigns ever.

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Before him came three signings in the same day in the 2020 summer window.

Alex Telles, Edinson Cavani and Amad Diallo were all brought to Old Trafford on that deadline day.

Telles was sent on loan this campaign, while United signing young talent Antony shows that Amad has yet to make any significant impact at the club.

Cavani had a positive first season with the Reds, but his second campaign ruined his time with the club before he left on a free transfer a couple of months ago.

Another striker was signed the season prior to this. Odion Ighalo was added to the squad on the January deadline day in 2020 as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked to strengthen his depth upfront with the loan deal.

The Nigerian had some positive moments in red, but his large salary, which United covered, made it a move that made little sense.

Anthony Martial was another signing made on deadline day in 2015 under Louis van Gaal. He made an instant impact against Liverpool on his debut.

Martial is the closest on this list to being a success, with an FA Cup, Europa League and Carabao Cup trophy under his belt as a United player.

But, you can only think about what could've been with the French star, as he was rated as one of the best youngsters in Europe at the time of his move.

Anthony Martial against Liverpool. (Man Utd)

He does have the chance to revive his career at the club under Erik ten Hag and if he can keep injuries to a minimum, it seems clear that he will have a positive impact under the Dutchman.

The other deadline day signings include the likes of Daley Blind, Radamel Falcao and Marouane Fellaini. The latter was a useful tool during his time with United, but never imposed himself as a top player during the difficult period at the club. Although he did score some important goals in his time.

Blind was a very useful player under Van Gaal, but was not the defender that Mourinho fancied. Meanwhile, Falcao never returned to the player he once was at Atletico Madrid following his knee injury the season before joining United. His failure at the club was heartbreak for many supporters who adored the forward.

Two youngsters were also signed on deadline day at the club in Regen Poole and Saidy Janko, however, neither made it through to the first team at the club.

The two clear successes

Following that long list, it's hard to believe that one of United's greatest ever players came to the club on this day.

Wayne Rooney eventually made the move from Everton on the last day of the summer window in 2004.

He joined Sir Alex Ferguson's side, with many interested in the extremely talented youngster.

Despite starting his United career with an injury, it didn't take long until he dazzled on his debut, with a hat-trick against Fenerbahce.

Many trophies and the courtesy of becoming the club's top goalscorer came next. It was an overwhelming success for the club and was potentially one of their best signings ever.

Following Rooney came a striker partner of the United no.10. Dimitar Berbatov was brought to the club in 2008 from Tottenham Hotspur.

He won over fans with his incredibly silky skills and contributed 56 goals and 27 assists to the club in four years, despite having many minutes coming from the bench.

Scoring five in a single game against Blackburn Rovers was the highlight of a successful spell at Old Trafford for the Bulgarian.