Peter Schmeichel says Man United 'didn't need' £73m signing this summer - and should have spent cash elsewhere
Peter Schmeichel believes Manchester United could have saved at least £73m in the summer transfer window.
Man United slipped to 14th in the Premier League after a 3-0 defeat to rivals Manchester City last Sunday, deepening scrutiny on their summer recruitment.
Last season, only four teams scored fewer goals than Man United, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee managing just seven league strikes between them.
In response, United spent close to £200m on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Benjamin Sesko, while Hojlund was loaned to Napoli. The Dane scored on his full debut for the Italian side in a 3-1 win over Fiorentina, while Sesko has yet to find his rhythm since arriving from RB Leipzig.
Schmeichel, speaking on Premier League Productions, belives Man United has invested in the wrong areas - and perhaps should not have bothered signing Sesko in the first place.
He said: “In terms of players being brought in, Cunha for instance, I think in the three games he’s played - he came out very early in the game against Burnley - yes, I’ve seen things that can happen in the future, something we can build on.
“Bryan Mbeumo, the same thing, yes, it’s really good. That’s kind of progress in terms of how the team is going to be developed. At the moment I don’t see it. The issue is, it was so clear all of last season, has not been addressed.
“Yes, we didn’t score enough goals so they bought players in who can score goals but they spent the money on the third one - it’s nothing personal against Sesko - but we didn’t need the third striker, we needed a centre midfield player who can control that bit of the pitch, and we needed a goalkeeper.
“Those were the issues we were struggling with last season and it’s not been addressed.”
Former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves also weighed in, suggesting the club should have pursued Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, a proven Premier League scorer, rather than Sesko.
However, the England international has also failed to find the back of the net so far this season.