Manchester United finally offloaded most of their ‘bomb squad’ as Antony completed a permanent move to Real Betis, while Rasmus Hojlund and Jadon Sancho joined Napoli and Aston Villa on loan respectively.

The club had begun Transfer Deadline Day with Antony, Hojlund, Sancho and Tyrell Malacia exiled from Ruben Amorim’s squad – with only the latter remaining at Old Trafford until January at least.

Antony’s return to Betis ended a summer of speculation over whether he would end up back in LaLiga, having spent the second half of last season at the club and racking up seven goal contributions in 17 games.

He joined them for £21.7m, a loss of £64m from when Man Utd paid Ajax £86m for him in 2022.

Jadon Sancho, who had been a target for Roma, joined Villa as one of a number of late additions to Unai Emery’s squad, with Rasmus Hojlund making a temporary move to Napoli, who have been seeking further striking reinforcements all summer.

Few incomings were expected after Brighton rejected an offer for Carlos Baleba last month, with Senne Lammens the only arrival in an attempt to solve the ongoing goalkeeping issues at Old Trafford.

Lammens in – will Man Utd operate with four goalkeepers?

Andre Onana has not featured for Man Utd in the league all season and was at fault for one of Grimsby’s goals in their shock Carabao Cup defeat last week, with Altay Bayindir also faltering in his place in United’s opening three Premier League games.

Lammens joined from Royal Antwerp on a five-year deal for a fee of around £18.2m, including add-ons. Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez had been discussed, but it was decided internally that Lammens was a better option.

Lammens’ skill as a shot-stopper was what impressed the club most; no goalkeeper made more saves in Europe’s top 10 leagues last season and he had one of the highest goals prevented metrics in Europe. He also made the most progressive passes for any goalkeeper under the age of 23.

As it stands, United are expected to move forward with four goalkeepers, adding Lammens to their current group of Bayindir, Onana and Tom Heaton.

However, the windows in Turkey and Saudi Arabia are open until September 11 and 10 respectively and it is understood that if a suitable offer were to come in for any of Man Utd’s other ‘keepers, it would be considered.

Antony finally gets his move

Antony had made no secret of his desire to avoid returning to Old Trafford at the end of last season, including a tearful interview while on loan at Betis where he said he had fallen out of love with football at United.

In the end, he got his wish – but he had to wait right up to the end of the transfer window for it to happen. He leaves Old Trafford having played 62 Premier League games across three seasons, but contributed just eight goals and assists.

He arrived at the club in 2022 as one of the major signings of the summer, following former boss Erik ten Hag from Ajax, but never managed to recreate his Eredivisie form for United.

Can Sancho, Hojlund reignite careers?

A number of clubs had been interested in bringing in Sancho this summer, including Chelsea where he spent last season on loan and featured heavily in their run to the Conference League title. But, having failed to agree terms with the Blues, he returned to Old Trafford – and they paid a £5m fine as per the terms of his loan.

AS Roma had expressed an interest in the final days before the deadline before Aston Villa’s last-minute swoop, with the club taking a second Man Utd forward on loan in as many windows after signing Marcus Rashford in January.

Hojlund had impressed in pre-season and looked like he may end up as Man Utd’s starting striker for a second season in succession, especially after expressing his wish to remain at Old Trafford – and Ruben Amorim’s positive words about him.

But, after the arrival of Benjamin Sesko, it became clear his days were numbered at the club and he did not feature in any of their four competitive fixtures before completing his temporary move.

The 22-year-old’s move will become permanent should Napoli qualify for the Champions League, with the total cost of the deal, including loan fee, understood to be worth a potential £43m.

In

Bryan Mbeumo – Brentford, £71m

Matheus Cunha – Wolves, £62.5m

Diego Leon – Cerro Porteno, £7m

Benjamin Sesko – RB Leipzig – £73.7m

Senne Lammens – Royal Antwerp, £18.2m

Out

Alejandro Garnacho – Chelsea, £40m

Christian Eriksen – released

Jonny Evans – released

Victor Lindelof – released

Elyh Harrison – Shrewsbury, loan

Marcus Rashford – Barcelona, loan

Radek Vitek – Bristol City, loan

Ethan Wheatley – Northampton Town, loan

Jack Moorhouse – Leyton Orient, loan

Toby Collyer – West Brom, loan

Ethan Williams – Falkirk, loan

Rasmus Hojlund – Napoli, loan

Antony – Real Betis, £21.7m

Harry Amass – Sheff Wed, loan

Jadon Sancho – Arsenal, loan

Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games this season

From this season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage has increased from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.

And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games this season will be on Sky Sports.