Raphael Varane could force Manchester United into a transfer rethink

When the transfer window closed last September it looked like Manchester United's business had been very good indeed. 'Winning' the transfer window is very much a social media phenomenon from deal-hungry supporters, but at Old Trafford they were more than satisfied with their new arrivals.

Almost a full season on, the gloss certainly hasn't been wiped off that window entirely, although it clearly didn't provide the impetus required to shunt United from second to serious title challengers. The campaign has unravelled dramatically and while all three major arrivals last summer have contributed, they've all had question marks around them this season as well.

There is the returning hero in attack, a striker with 18 goals in 32 games, but the true worth of Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be questioned and for all his heroics in front of goal, there have been plenty of occasions when he hasn't looked a natural fit under either Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick.

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Jadon Sancho is starting to come good now, but the £73million winger took his time to find his groove and, while he is beginning to get fans off their seats, there have still only been five goals and three assists from 34 appearances. That tally will have to rise significantly next season.

Then there is Raphael Varane. When he signed from Real Madrid the World Cup winner looked like a world-class addition and he has definitely improved United's defence when he's played. The problem has been his availability.

It wouldn't be fair to say he has always been injury-prone, although there has been a catalogue of minor issues dating back five years. In his final five seasons at Real Madrid, there were 11 separate