Manchester United's previous mistakes in the transfer market ultimately forced Ineos' hand to not invest in a striker on deadline day.

The Reds currently find themselves struggling for goals with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee scoring a combined five goals in the Premier League this season. Despite this, the stance from Old Trafford was that they would not rush into a short term fix.

MEN Sport understands the plan at United was to save their money for the summer where they could get a better deal for their outlay. Sporting forward Viktor Gyokeres is expected to be a top target for Ruben Amorim.

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Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Reach's chief business of football writer Dave Powell explained that past poor signings prevented United from dipping into the market. “United’s lack of activity in this window, and the limits on what they can actually do, are largely connected to the amount of transfer activity they have engaged in over the last three years or so, and how that recruitment hasn’t worked out because it hasn’t turned into competitive success at anywhere near the levels expected," Powell explained.

“While the recent publication of the Deloitte Football Money League might still have United climbing one place to fourth with revenues of £663m, the truth is that their rivals who have been able to qualify for the Champions League with regularity have closed the gap. Arsenal’s revenue for 2023/24 grew £153m, while United’s was £14m.

"Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle United all enjoyed larger revenue increases than United. When it comes to PSR, United’s combined three-year loss for the assessment period came in at £313m, well above the £105m threshold.

"However, when taking into account allowable deductions, which include £35m of share sale costs, the total comes to £170m, resulting in a net PSR position of minus £103m. That puts United £2m under the PSR breach threshold for the period, and speaks to the confidence that the club had in stating that they would be compliant with the regulations. It seems unlikely that they will be hit with a breach, even if the margin is tight.

“Looking ahead to the final year of PSR as we have known it, forecasts from football finance expert Swiss Ramble show that, with the 2021/22 loss of £149.6m dropping off the assessment, that would mean that United could lose as much as £120m and still be compliant.

“While that sounds like a large sum and one that should signal the ability to spend with some freedom, the reality is that the financial outlook without Champions League football would be gloomy, and given that £131m was lost in 2023/24, United have some work to do to make sure that they are savvy with player trading. Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants the club to be more efficient, something already seen with a round of redundancies behind the scenes and removal of some staff perks.

"Driving down the wage bill is something that he wants to implement, and in getting Aston Villa to commit to paying £227,500 per week of Marcus Rashford’s wages until the end of the season, as well as locking in a £40m permanent fee option for Villa should he impress, a sum higher than some expectations given the mammoth salary and poor form, they have made a £3m saving on payroll between now and May.

“A £25m deal for Patrick Dorgu from Lecce leans into the model of signing younger players with a high ceiling from the middle of the market, and that will add £5m per year to Manchester United’s amortised costs.

“The club probably could do more before the end of the window, but to what end? They aren’t qualifying for the Champions League and they aren’t going down. Players in January cost a premium if they are good because selling clubs don’t want to sell impactful players when they are chasing something themselves. Other players that are available at a senior level who are allowed to leave are either doing so because of a lack of form or burdensome financials.

“Dorgu is the kind of deal that always seemed the likely play for United this window, with the focus on finding an exit route for some of their expensive squad, with the departures of Antony and Rashford achieving that to some degree, if only temporarily.

“This is a window of cleaning house for United and trying to usher in a new strategy, one that no longer just seeks to pay big money only to get little in return.”