According to The Telegraph, Manchester United attempted to sign Ait-Nouri on loan on transfer deadline day, but Manchester City wanted to include a mandatory purchase clause. Rashford's high salary also limited Manchester United's transfer window, preventing them from recruiting additional players.

This summer, Manchester United's primary focus was overhauling the midfield, bringing in Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans, and Noussair Mazraoui for a combined £155 million, complementing Mainoo, Mount, and Bruno Fernandes.

However, after the summer transfer window closed, one of the biggest questions troubling Manchester United fans is whether the club made a mistake by not accelerating other parts of the planned defensive overhaul.

With Luke Shaw as the only senior left-back available to Ten Hag, Manchester United clearly took a risk by not recruiting for this position. Lewis Hall was Manchester United's first-choice target, but the club decided against making an official offer and had no plans to sign Lewis Skelly.

On deadline day, they were still searching for a more affordable short-term solution. Jorge Sáenz has a €16 million release clause in his Racing Santander contract, and Alejandro Balde and other players had been on Manchester United's watchlist in recent weeks.

Additionally, on Tuesday afternoon, Manchester United inquired with Manchester City about the possibility of loaning Ait-Nouri. Days earlier, an agent had recommended the player to Manchester United, but Manchester City informed them that a loan would only be possible with a mandatory purchase clause, which Manchester United was unwilling to accept for a permanent deal.

The reality is that Manchester United lacks depth at left-back, and they will have to hope this doesn't cause problems. The 31-year-old Luke Shaw unexpectedly started all 38 league matches for Manchester United last season.

This season, Manchester United has returned to the Champions League, but given that Luke Shaw has been injury-prone since joining Manchester United in 2014, it is unrealistic to expect him to play twice every few days throughout the season.

This means Ten Hag must adapt players to left-back temporarily. Dalot and Mazraoui have both filled this position – the latter also frequently played there for Morocco's national team – and Lisandro Martínez or even Baliba could occasionally cover.

Additionally, Ten Hag could consider deploying Dögu at left-back again, but he prefers the Danish international in a more advanced, attacking role, and Diego Leon is not yet at senior team level.

Another young player, Harry Amas, despite attracting interest from Burnley, ultimately remained, providing backup depth, though Manchester United is also open to loaning or selling him.

Would things be different if Manchester United could move more players? Almost certainly. Everton made a late attempt to loan Zirkzee, but due to lack of time to find a replacement and the desire to maintain attacking depth, Manchester United chose to retain the Dutch striker.

The most important factor in Manchester United's inability to do more business is Rashford's immovable status. His £325,000-per-week salary significantly constrains Manchester United's financial flexibility, though Ten Hag believes Rashford can be an important asset for the team this season.

This season, many of Manchester United's defenders will fight for their futures. Luke Shaw's contract expires next summer, as do Lisandro Martínez and Maguire's, though the club has options to extend both by one additional year.

Dalot and Mazraoui's contracts run until 2028 with 12-month extension options, but Manchester United has long needed to strengthen right-back, and the club also needs young center-backs Yoro and Aidan Haven to break through this season.

Based on Manchester United's decisions regarding Maguire, Rashford, Martínez, and De Ligt, it is reasonable to think that the club may recruit some center-backs and some fullbacks in the summer transfer market next year.

Given the exceptionally high transfer costs this summer, Manchester United is satisfied with the midfield recruitment they ultimately completed, though the final process of signing Onana, Tielemans, and Baliba was quite convoluted, and this is not the squad they had anticipated in April or May.

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