Paul Scholes reckons Manchester United made two major mistakes in last summer’s transfer window.
The former Manchester United midfielder reckons the team would ‘be so much better’ had they signed a certain two players who were available during the summer.
United’s interest in Declan Rice and Harry Kane had been well-documented but they were unable to get the deals over the line, with Arsenal and Bayern Munich beating them to the punch respectively.
Instead, £140m was spent on Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount, while the club paid £82 million for Brazilian winger Antony the previous summer.
Speaking on TNT Sport ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League game against Bayern Munich, which United lost 1-0, Scholes called out United’s recruitment network for botching what should have been an easy job.
“I think there were a couple of big mistakes in the summer,” Scholes said.
“And I think the recruitment of Man United this year, in the summer, was the easiest it could ever have been.
“You think of the likes of Harry Kane. €100 million probably, you get him.
"Recruitment at Manchester United this year was the easiest it could ever have been!"
Paul Scholes believes there were 𝐓𝐖𝐎 obvious signings that United missed out on in the summer 😬#UCL | @laura_woodsy | @rioferdy5 pic.twitter.com/ASGMUGKVgO
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“He’d have come here. The other one was Declan Rice, 100 million. You’re buying proper known quality, the right characters. They know about this club, they know the country.
“Quality, quality players. I thought it was so easy.
“The goalkeeper is obviously a problem as well,” continued the 49-year-old.
“They did need to buy a goalkeeper. This one hasn’t quite worked out yet.
“Listen you have to give him time yet, of course you have. But I think they’re the two players. Forget the four or five for €50/60 million. Them two players, they’ve proven quality. This Man United team would be so much better with them in it,” he concluded.
Rio Ferdinand agreed with his former team-mate, noting that Rice and Kane would have brought much-needed leadership to the Manchester United dressing room.
“I agree with that. I think United needed character, resilience and understanding of this League more than anything.
“More than talent – those guys have talent in abundance, don’t get me wrong but I think the over-riding factor which this squad…we’ve seen that this season.
“Most of the sub-plots about this club at the moment are off the pitch.”
“These guys would have come in and would have been the guys to lead that in a better way, 100%. You’ve seen that in how they have gone into their new clubs, they’ve probably been the best players at their two new clubs performance wise.”
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