Who is Manchester United shock signing Andy Kellett?
In the end Man Utd didn't land Hummels or Bale, but did end up with a Bolton defender on loan
After a relatively quiet transfer deadline day with few big deals or major surprises there was one question that remained unanswered once the window had finally creaked shut: who is Manchester United's new signing Andy Kellett?
The 21-year-old defender has the honour of being Louis van Gaal's only January signing, securing a loan move from lowly Bolton to Old Trafford on deadline day.
United had been linked with the cream of European talent from Mats Hummels to Gareth Bale and Paul Pogba all month, but ended up with a player whose season so far has included 15 appearances for League Two Plymouth and 51 minutes for Bolton.
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Here's what we know:
He was not expecting to move
The Bolton News carries a verbatim account of how the news was broken to the full-back, who had been hoping to extend his loan deal at Plymouth.
"'Sit down Andy,' said Wanderers first team coach Garry Parker. 'We've got some good news and some bad news.' The full-back decided to hear the bad news first. 'You're not going back to Plymouth,' was the reply.
"Steeling himself for the worst, Kellett asked to hear the good news. 'You're going to Manchester United,' Parker said... The 21-year-old’s face, we understand, was a picture."
He probably won't take the Premier League by storm
Sadly for the romantics the deal was not made with an eye on the first team. And it remains to be seen if Kellett can represent United at all having already played for both Plymouth and Bolton this season.
One of the intriguing aspects of the move was that it came in the midst of an Old Trafford purge. The young defender will find team-mates of a similar age in short supply after United parted company with a host of young players including Sam Johnstone, Will Keane, Ben Amos, Jesse Lingaard, Marnick Vermijl and Wilfried Zaha last month.
However, the departure of Vermijl to Sheffield Wednesday had "left the Under-21s a tad bare when it came to defensive cover", reports the Daily Mirror.
But he can score wondergoals
In fact it could be that he only scores wondergoals, for his one and only professional strike came for Plymouth in December and was one to savour
He's 'solid' and versatile.
According to the Mirror, fans of Plymouth, who are the only ones to have taken a proper look at him, describe him as "a solid enough performer, capable of adding some drive to the team from full-back and equally adept on the left of midfield".
He made his first league start for Bolton last month against Rotherham, after returning from Plymouth on loan. However, his future there was unclear, and the BBC notes that former Bolton boss Dougie Freedman had "reservations about Kellett's ability to break into the first-team reckoning".
He's not United's only left-field signing
United made an even more obscure signing last month when Libya-born defender Sadiq El Fitouri joined the club from Evo-Stik First Division side Salford City on an 18-month deal.
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