Manchester United have begun clawing their way back up the Premier League standings following last season's disappointing campaign. After narrowly avoiding a relegation battle by finishing just two spots above the drop zone in May, the club now find themselves competing for Champions League qualification.

However, with Chelsea and bitter rivals Liverpool also in pursuit, the January transfer window presents a chance to strengthen the squad and cement their position. To explore who United might target on deadline day, we ran a simulation of the transfer window using Football Manager 26. Similar to reality, the virtual United are battling for European qualification in our FM26 save. Comfortably placed in fifth spot, the simulated side refused to become complacent. Opting to strengthen their roster, they invested heavily in fresh talent before the window closed on February 2.

Going big in the market, United secured five new arrivals in our FM26 simulation. The majority came from Spain, with the club conducting most of their business with La Liga clubs.

One transaction saw a player arrive at Old Trafford from Barcelona, while a United star headed the other way on a...