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  1. 'Right decision in the long run' or 'terrible management?'published at 12:28 4 February

    Your views banner
    Ruben Amorim shruggingImage source, Getty Images

    We asked for your views on how you thought Manchester United's transfer window was and where it left Ruben Amorim and his team for the rest of the season.

    Here are some of your comments:

    Kevin: Ruben Amorin should walk away from this disaster fest as he has been set up to fail. Couldn't even afford Mathys Tel on loan? Come on they could do that with Marcus Rashford and Antony wage savings. Terrible management.

    Chris: Antony and Rashford leaving might seem bad in terms of forward firepower, but neither has proven in the past 18 months they still have it or will improve enough to justify starting. The team won't be any worse on any given Saturday for the rest of this season for their absence. I wish both the best of luck elsewhere though. Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee both work hard but neither are getting the service, or are in the wrong place when service is there. I've mentally written this season off now. Amorim should treat each game as a training session, start blooding the young lads ready to come through, make sure we don't get relegated and then start afresh in the close season.

    Steve: While frustrating, I do feel the club have made the right decision in the long run. We've managed to get some players out and addressed the left-back role with another player. Unfortunately this is a 'suffer now and hopefully reap the benefits in the summer' situation. I hope we will have the busiest transfer window in terms of incomings we've had in recent times. Get behind the remaining players for this season and believe that it will be worth it in the long run.

    Chris: Still lots to fix, but Patrick Dorgu is a great start. A natural left-sided player, Dalot can now play on the right and decent crosses can start coming into the box again from both sides. This type of service could transform Hojlund's season too, it's what he thrives on.

    Gerry: The good news is that we still have Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo. Heaven looks a good, young prospect. Hopefully Dorgu works out but he's never played wing-back and is defensively suspect winning only 51% of his tackles. The Italian press slaughtered him for his part in Lecce's 4-0 loss in his last game. People say he's like Bale - hopefully Gareth, not Christian.

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  2. 'Rashford would have done better as a striker'published at 12:28 4 February

    Rasmus Hojlind, Joshua Zirkzee and Marcus RashfordImage source, Getty Images

    BBC Radio Manchester's Joe McGrath spoke on The Devils' Advocate podcast about Marcus Rashford's departure from Old Trafford: "We're going to find out now what actually is the case. Has Marcus Rashford fallen out of love with Amorim, or is he really just a poor trainer?

    "If Rashford turns up and is looking alive, you wonder what the problem was.

    "We can't attack, and we have flogged two attackers [Rashford and Antony] and haven't brought anyone in."

    Co-host Gaz Drinkwater added: "Everyone is praising Ruben Amorim for being really honest, but he has left out a lot of details.

    "Even this season, you're trying to tell me that Rashford wouldn't have done a better job [as a striker] than those two [Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee]? Of course he would!"

    Listen to the full episode here

  3. Arsenal show City need new ideas - Nevinpublished at 11:32 4 February

    Pat Nevin
    Former footballer and presenter

    Arsenal's German forward Kai HavertzImage source, Getty Images

    Manchester City's visit to Arsenal gave some crystal-clear answers regarding both teams' current situations. City are "also rans" this season, even if they've had a recent mini-revival.

    Pep's tactics were incredibly frustrating to watch, but goodness knows how Erling Haaland feels. Starved of any meaningful service, they finally gave him something to attack in the 55th minute and he devoured it. Apart from that moment, the continuous, almost monotonous slow and deliberate build-ups, that demands no risk to possession, must drive the Norwegian wild.

    They may have had 10% more possession and played nearly 100 more passes than the home side but that isn't the most important thing. It should be about possession in the right areas at the right time and it is dangerous passes rather than safe ones that are key when you want to actually score some goals.

    For quite some time, City have been a team you admire, but don't always enjoy watching. Now they are no longer a winning machine, but play with only one formula and are seemingly incapable of changing up a few gears during matches. They can become infuriatingly dull to observe.

    Arsenal's performance after losing that goal to Haaland was an object lesson in pace, imagination, the fearlessness of youth and the ability to slip through the gears effortlessly leaving the visitors stalled on the starting grid. City don't just need new players, they need some new, or at the very least adaptable ideas.

    Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

  4. Has Guardiola finally found cover for Rodri?published at 11:09 4 February

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    On BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, BBC Sport chief football news reporter Simon Stone discusses the signing of Nico Gonzalez on deadline day and how other injuries have not helped boss Pep Guardiola counter the long-term absence of Rodri in midfield.

    Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

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  5. 'The best deal' and a 'very good window'published at 09:28 4 February

    Your views banner
    Nico GonzalezImage source, Getty Images

    We asked for your views on City's new signing Nico Gonzalez, and the impact the signings will have on the squad.

    Here are some of your comments:

    David: The deal is the best of the window as it addresses the worst of our problems! Current solution of ageing players in central midfield with waning pace or young players easily bullied leaves us wide open to counters.

    Robert: Very happy. Hopefully he will provide the defensive cover we need in midfield.

    Stuart: A very good window for City. All are young and hungry. We need more energy, especially away from home when we can't always control possession.

  6. Man City 'needed to get out with their pride intact' but were 'humiliated'published at 08:57 4 February

    The Athletic's chief soccer correspondent Rory Smith says Arsenal "humiliated" current Premier League champions Manchester City at Emirates Stadium, adding that Pep Guardiola's side should have "shut up shop" in the 5-1 defeat.

    Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Smith said: "I don't understand why Manchester City were leaving themselves so exposed when it was obvious that if Arsenal got a run at them, they didn't have the legs to keep up.

    "Yet for the fourth goal, there were Manchester City players who looked like they were running through treacle, as Declan Rice just strode away through the middle of the pitch.

    "That goal turned what would have been a really psychologically important win for Arsenal, in the context of the title race, into a really historic thing.

    "Arsenal didn't just beat them, they humiliated them.

    "They needed to get out of there with their pride intact, but they gave Arsenal 10 minutes to take the game away from them."

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  7. Amorim could 'lose Zirkzee and Hojlund mentally' - Suttonpublished at 08:22 4 February

    Ruben Amorim will have "a real problem" keeping his strikers on side after Manchester United allowed Marcus Rashford and Antony leave on loan and failed to sign any replacements during the transfer window, says former Premier League forward Chris Sutton.

    Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Sutton said he would not be surprised if the remaining attackers "think about not applying themselves" for the rest of this season.

    "If you are Joshua Zirkzee or Rasmus Hojlund and you're seeing Kobbie Mainoo - who is a really excellent footballer but isn't a centre-forward or false nine - being picked, you are thinking: 'How on earth is he playing in front of me?'

    "That is a real problem. Amorim is basically telling the pair of them that he doesn't rate them in any way, shape or form.

    "He could lose these two players, mentally, for the rest of the season now and they might think about not applying themselves."

    Ex-England winger Theo Walcott added: "Managers sometimes do this to test players. They want to see whether the player is with them or not.

    "It's going to be interesting to see how Manchester United do cope with this. I just think it's an interesting dynamic for Amorim to make, particularly if he is so fixed on this formation."

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  8. 'A brutal reality for Manchester United'published at 08:08 4 February

    Phil McNulty
    Chief football writer

    Ruben AmorimImage source, Getty Images

    There will be widespread consternation among fans that Manchester United leave the transfer window with their already slim attacking options even thinner than when it opened.

    After effectively wiping Marcus Rashford from his mind, Ruben Amorim's decision to play midfielder Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine against Crystal Palace, ahead of expensive recognised forwards Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, delivered a damning verdict of how little he feels he has at his disposal with that pair.

    This lack of a striker will be the biggest talking point of a United transfer window that brutally outlined their reduced circumstances, mocking their status as the world's third-richest football club.

    Given United's current financial status and the requirement to stay on the right side of Profit and Sustainability rules, the bottom line was that they could not make a statement signing without a statement sale.

    There was even talk that Mainoo - one of Old Trafford's crown jewels as well as a homegrown product - and Alejandro Garnacho could be sold to create wriggle room elsewhere in the markets.

    Amorim has kept the young duo, with the big plus coming in the shape of a new five-and-a-half-year contract for Amad Diallo.

    Patrick Dorgu was the only major incoming, while fellow defender Ayden Heaven was taken away from Arsenal.

    Though Old Trafford's new hierarchy can say, with justification, they were in something of a no-win situation, this has been a transfer window as underwhelming as United's season so far.

    How do you rate United's transfer window? Was the hierarchy in a no-win situation? And where does it leave Amorim and his team for the rest of the campaign?

    Let us know here

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  9. Man Utd halve forward linepublished at 07:23 4 February

    Josh Lobley
    BBC Sport Researcher

    Jadon Sancho, Ethan Wheatley, Antony and Marcus Rashford playing for Manchester UnitedImage source, Getty Images

    Before Manchester United's first game of this season - their 1-0 victory over Fulham - they had eight recognised forwards in their squad. Fast forward to present day and that number has shrunk to four.

    The departures of Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony and Ethan Wheatley over the past six months leaves Ruben Amorim with just two wingers and two strikers at his disposal - Alejandro Garnacho, Amad Diallo, Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

    Considering United have only outscored four Premier League teams so far this season, it seems - on the face of it - an odd decision to let three forwards leave in January alone without bringing in a single replacement.

    It was always going to be unrealistic for the Red Devils to bring in their dream attacker - whoever that may be - in a historically difficult winter window, but the lack of attacking reinforcements is likely to be a cause of concern among many supporters.

    Bruno Fernandes, and more recently Kobbie Mainoo, have both been experimented in forward roles, but that creates another issue by leaving the midfield sparse.

    New recruit Patrick Dorgu has played in the frontline for Lecce this season, but it seems Amorim wants him to take up the left wing-back role. Asking him to play further forward takes the squad back to square one in the full-back department.

    Could it be time for some of the forwards in the academy to step up? Or are the club keeping fingers crossed their limited frontline will stay injury free? Either way, it is a risky strategy.

    Manchester United may sit low in the Premier League table, but they still have two cup competitions to fight for. Their season is by no means over, and they need all the help they can get.

  10. 'Rashford is on trial'... 'but it was clear it wasn't changing at Man Utd'published at 06:55 4 February

    Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says Aston Villa have taken "a risk" signing Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United, adding he believes the 27-year-old has "a lot to prove" at Villa Park.

    Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Sutton said: "We will find out, won't we? I think Marcus has a lot to prove, and I wouldn't normally say that about a player like him. It is a risk from Aston Villa.

    "Unai Emery feels he can get Marcus fully focused again and, if that happens, there is no doubting the ability he has.

    "Marcus Rashford is on trial because there is the option for him to move permanently in the summer."

    The Athletic's chief soccer correspondent Rory Smith added: "It is about Rashford finding an environment where he can thrive again. The allegation from Ruben Amorim was that he is not trying in training, but we don't know exactly what that means.

    "There are suggestions his personal life has become a bit of an obstacle for him to overcome. But because that is all whisper and gossip, we don't fully know.

    "Either way, it was clear it wasn't changing at Manchester United, so maybe you need to just go somewhere else."

    Media caption,

    Marcus Rashford transfer - Chris Sutton says on-loan Aston Villa forward "on trial"

    Watch Monday Night Club on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

  11. Gossip: Rashford unlikely to return to Unitedpublished at 06:29 4 February

    Gossip graphic

    Forward Marcus Rashford is unlikely to play for Manchester United again after his loan move to Aston Villa because the relationship between the 27-year-old and the Old Trafford side is close to irreparable. (Guardian), external

    Napoli coach Antonio Conte is disappointed the club were not able to sign Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho after selling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris St-Germain. (Sky Sports Italia, via Football Italia), external

    United and Bayern Munich both wanted France forward Christopher Nkunku in January but ended their interest because of Chelsea's valuation of the 27-year-old. (Mail), external

    Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

    Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

  12. City midfielder Wright joins Norwich on loanpublished at 00:39 4 February

    Manchester City done deal graphic

    Manchester City midfielder Jacob Wright has joined Norwich City on loan for the remainder of the season.

    The 19-year-old has made four senior appearances under Pep Guardiola, all of which have come from the bench, having been part of City's academy since he was aged eight.

  13. Man City become second-highest spenders in January window historypublished at 23:31 3 February

    Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico GonzalezImage source, Getty Images

    Nico Gonzalez (£50m) became Manchester City's fourth signing of the window.

    Forward Omar Marmoush (£59m) and defenders Abdukodir Khusanov (£33.6m) and Vitor Reis (£29.6m) joined earlier in the window.

    Gonzalez's arrival takes Manchester City's spending this window up to about £180m, compared to £177m for the other 19 teams in the Premier League combined.

    That's the second-highest spend in a winter window ever, behind Chelsea in 2023, who spent €330m (£275m).

  14. 'The perfect opportunity for me' - Gonzalez on Man City movepublished at 23:12 3 February

    Nico Gonzalez celebrates goal for PortoImage source, Getty Images

    New Manchester City signing Nico Gonzalez says he wants to "test myself in England" after completing a permanent move from Porto.

    The 23-year-old has signed a deal that will keep him with the club until the summer of 2029.

    "This is the perfect opportunity for me at this stage of my career," Gonzalez said. "I am 23 and I want to test myself in England. There's no better club than Manchester City for me to do that.

    "Look at the squad they have here... it's unbelievable, full of world-class players. There isn't a footballer in the world who would not want to be part of this setup.

    "I know the reputation Pep [Guardiola] has and I cannot wait to work with him. In fact, I am honoured he wants me to play in his team.

    "I am truly excited."

    Director of football Txiki Begiristain added: "Nico is a very talented young midfielder. He is an ideal acquisition for Manchester City.

    "It was a difficult transfer to complete because his performances have been outstanding, and he has been such an important part of what FC Porto are doing this season. We are really happy we have managed to get this done before the window closed."

    Are you happy, City fans?

    Tell us here

  15. Man City sign Gonzalez from Portopublished at 23:01 3 February

    Manchester City done deal graphic

    Manchester City have completed the signing of Nico Gonzalez from FC Porto.

    The 23-year-old has joined on a four-and-a-half-year deal, for a fee believed to be in the region of 60m euros (£50m).

    Gonzalez has featured 68 times for the Portuguese side, helping them to the Taca de Portugal last season, and has scored nine goals and provided nine assists during his time at the club.

    What do you think of the deal, City fans?

    Will Gonzalez plug the Rodri-sized gap in Pep Guardiola's midfield?

    Let us know

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