Kevin Kilbane expresses surprise at Man Utd transfer activity

Former Republic of Ireland winger Kevin Kilbane has spoken of his shock at Manchester United’s transfer policy on the back of the club’s reported £36m capture of Anthony Martial.

Match of the Day pundit Kilbane has been answering questions on BBC Sport’s coverage of deadline day, and told fans he is surprised at Louis van Gaal allowing Adnan Januzaj to leave on loan to Borussia Dortmund.

The 20-year-old winger scored once in two Premier League appearances in August, but has been shipped out to Dortmund, while van Gaal has reportedly spent £36m on bringing unproven Frenchman Martial to Manchester.

Kilbane said: “Januzaj first came to attention at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson but in many respects he was the find of the David Moyes era.

“For whatever reason, Louis van Gaal clearly doesn’t fancy him and now all of a sudden he’s been offloaded. I think Dortmund have got themselves a player, he could go on and be the next big thing for them.

“It seems to me that the whole transfer policy at Manchester United has changed over the last couple of years.

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“Spending £250m that normally guarantees you the title, but judging by the way they performed at Swansea, they are a very long way from that. It’s crazy the way football has changed.”

Belgian starlet Januzaj broke into the United first team under David Moyes in 2013, but struggled to replicate his form during limited appearances last season under van Gaal.

The youngster is tied to a contract until 2018, but – to the surprise of many – does not appear to be in the Old Trafford boss’s plans.