Chris Sutton believes Manchester United would need to spend £1billion to get close to competing with Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League and criticised their average midfield.
The former Chelsea striker was unimpressed with United’s display in a 2-0 defeat to West Ham on Sunday and isn’t convinced a midfield pairing of Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay is even worthy of a top-10 Premier League side.
United’s latest defeat has left them 10 points behind league leaders Liverpool after just six games played and most believe their title challenge is over before it had even begun, such is the consistency of Jurgen Klopp’s side.
And Sutton tihnks United would need to spend an absolute fortune to catch up with the Reds and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, although he hopes they keep faith in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s project.
‘How much would Manchester United have to spend to stand a chance of competing with Manchester City and Liverpool? I came to the conclusion it would take more than a billion pounds. Seriously,’ Sutton wrote in the Daily Mail.
‘With Paul Pogba out injured, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fielded a midfield two of Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic at West Ham. I’m not sure that is even top-10 worthy.
‘To compete for the big trophies you need big players and United don’t have those.
‘What’s the solution to all this? I don’t think it is to sack Solskjaer. I’m not saying he is carrying it out well, but at least he has a plan. He is developing younger players, partly because he has no choice.
‘Can United afford to spend more than half-a-billion pounds in a bid to become top-four competitors again?
‘It didn’t work with Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. I’m not sure ripping up the manual and appointing a new manager is the answer.’
