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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 temporary basis. Essentially, a player exchange provided defensive reinforcements at the Camp Nou.

Strengthening the midfield seemed to be top of the agenda for United, as they splashed out a substantial £48.5million on a defensive midfielder from Sevilla. By the close of the transfer window, however, they had reinforced practically every position across the pitch.

While Lucien Agoume's hefty transfer fee naturally grabs the spotlight, several other fascinating deals were struck at Old Trafford.

The acquisition of Wojciech Szczesny as back-up goalkeeper to summer recruit Senne Lammens is particularly noteworthy, while Raul Asencio's £29m move also bolsters United's defensive options.

Following a £5.25m outlay on Leicester winger Jake Evans, it's the capture of another wide player that turns heads. Emi Buendia arrives on loan on deadline day, somewhat swelling United's attacking midfield contingent.

Young centre-half Fredicson's £125,000 switch to Swansea indicates the club no longer anticipates him breaking into the first team. Yet it's Diogo Dalot's move to Spain that truly baffles. Altay Bayindir's £6.75m exit to Besiktas earlier in our simulation enables the Szczesny signing, which curiously functions as an exchange deal for Dalot.

The full-back has featured in nearly three-quarters of United's actual fixtures and delivered consistent performances. His loan move to Barcelona may not seem logical for United at first glance. However, his transfer includes an option to make it permanent for £44m, so perhaps the accountants will be satisfied at the end of the season.

In other simulation news, arch rivals Manchester City spent a combined £130m to sign former Arsenal player Lucas Torreira from Galatasaray and replicated the real-life signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. City's business accounted for around a third of the league's total £311m net spending.

Torreira's transfer cost City £60m initially, but this will rise to £80m with add-ons. The biggest transfer outside the Premier League was Raphinha's £69m transfer from Barcelona to Saudi side Al-Ittihad.