Too many players at Manchester United are “not up to it”, says Mark Bosnich, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being left with no choice but to spend in the January transfer window.
The Red Devils are expected to be busy before the next recruitment deadline as ongoing inconsistency in 2019-20 has heightened the need for further fresh faces to be brought on board.
Solskjaer has been unable to bridge the gap which separates United from the domestic and European elite, with a 3-1 Carabao Cup defeat to arch-rivals Manchester City last time out further highlighting as much.
The United boss has sought to take the club in a different direction, as faith is shown in youth and home-grown talent, with a long-term rebuilding project being overseen.
Former goalkeeper Bosnich supports that process, but admits that more money will be required in order to meet the demands of an expectant fan base and raise the collective standard at Old Trafford.
He told Sky Sports when asked if he expects the Red Devils to dip into the current market: “I think they have to.
“If you look at the team the other night [against City], a young side, and that’s why we’re talking about progression.
“He [Solskjaer] has obviously gone for a young side and looking towards the future. That’s reliant a lot on the patience of the supporters. A young side may or may not come good within two years.
“They are doing something very similar to what Alex Ferguson did in the time that he was there, when he had that group of young players that he brought through the youth system and was lucky enough to put them in and continue the success.
“Sir Alex, before that, was given a lot of time – four years before he won his first major trophy against Crystal Palace in that FA Cup final. I don’t think people these days have got that much patience.
“I think after the result the other night, and not just the result but the performance and the quite apparent difference in class between the two sides, he has got no other option but to go and strengthen that squad because there are players all over it – there’s no need to get into naming and shaming – that you look at and compare them to other players in other teams that are doing so well and they are just not up to it.”
Solskjaer has admitted that he hopes to make “one or two” additions to his squad over the coming weeks, with United considered to be crying out for more creativity in the middle of the park.