Manchester United have spent over £200m on fresh talent, welcoming the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, but Jeff Stelling believes it's been a dismal summer for the Red Devils
Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko, Diego Leon and Matheus Cunha are unveiled at Old Trafford
Manchester United signed a number of new players this summer(Image: Getty Images)
Jeff Stelling believes that Manchester United have had a "poor" transfer window after failing to address two key issues.
Ruben Amorim received the backing of the board this summer as he strived to improve the squad he inherited from Erik ten Hag. And while spending more than £200million on the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko alone may seem fruitful on the face of things, Stelling believes the club have overlooked two pivotal areas of the pitch; the team's engine room and between the sticks.
Speaking on talkSPORT about the need to improve on an ageing midfield, the former Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday host said: "The two principal reasons why I think United have had a poor transfer window is that they needed to bring in someone with an engine in that midfield.
"I thought it was absolutely essential and they haven’t done so. Yes, they’ve got Kobbie Mainoo but he hasn’t got the sort of legs required to drive that midfield forward."
Mainoo's summer at Old Trafford has a controversial one, given that the English talent hoped to leave the club on loan after failing to get the nod over Bruno Fernandes in the starting XI. However, Amorim was not keen on the idea of the 20-year-old parting ways with his squad, telling reporters last month: "I want Kobbie to stay and he needs to fight for his place.
"We need Kobbie. That is not going to change. The players not playing with be disappointed but everyone will have opportunities. You have to fight in the week."
Mainoo was ultimately not allowed to leave, but the Red Devils did very little to strengthen their ageing midfield. Despite being linked with Carlos Baleba for large parts of the window, Brighton's £100m price tag of the star proved too hot to handle for the time being, especially considering Amorim had splurged a large portion of the club's kitty on a new attacking line.
Jeff Stelling looks on
Jeff Stelling is unimpressed by Manchester United's summer business
However, Stelling also criticised the club's choice to invest in 23-year-old goalkeeper, Senne Lammens, who joined United in an £18.2m move from Royal Antwerp on deadline day. While the Red Devils were linked with an unsettled Emiliano Martinez of Aston Villa, they ultimately opted on Lammens, who is nine years the Argentine's junior and proves as a far cheaper option on the face of things.
While he brings the benefit of youth to Amorim's squad, he lacks the vital Premier League experience that 32-year-old Martinez holds, given that he has impressed for Villa over the past five years and also has experience with Arsenal. And it's something that Stelling believes may have been incredibly beneficial going forward.
He added: "And, they’ve gone for the cheap goalkeeper option. Lammens might turn out to be a fantastic goalkeeper but it's a humungous step for him to go from playing for Royal Antwerp in front of 12,00 people in the Belgian league to huge crowds at Old Trafford. For me, Emi Martinez was the obvious choice for Manchester United."
Senne Lammens poses with his contract
Senne Lammens was a deadline day swoop for Manchester United
While Amorim insisted that he was happy with his goalkeeping set-up earlier in the window, the Portuguese tactician has seemingly since noticed holes in the games of both Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana.
Bayindir has featured in each of United's three Premier League games this season thus far, and came under fire for the Red Devils' 1-0 opening day loss to Arsenal. The 27-year-old botched a clearance from a corner, which allowed Riccardo Calafiori to sneak in at the back post and score the game-winning goal.
Meanwhile, Onana was deployed during United's Carabao Club clash with Grimsby Town last month, where he was also lambasted for errors which led to the League Two side securing a 2-0 lead by half-time. Despite goals from Mbeumo and Harry Maguire squaring the clash, they were ultimately dumped out after a tense penalty shootout.
It's been a mix-bag of results in the league for United thus far, with a win, a loss and a draw to their name from their opening three, and Amorim will undoubtedly be hoping for a more inspired performance when they return from the international break for the Manchester Derby come Sunday, September 14.