Former Manchester United defender Jonathan Spector admits he is rather underwhelmed by his ex-club's courting of Harry Maguire, using Matthijs de Ligt as an example of the kind of player the club should be pursuing.
Leicester City star Maguire has become one of United's top targets in the current transfer window.
Negotiations have been difficult, however, with Leicester turning down repeated bids for a player they value at around £80 million [$99m].
And Spector, speaking exclusively to AmericanGambler.com, believes there are more valid targets for a club of their stature.
"I was actually a bit surprised by [the Maguire approach]. I think he’s a very good central defender and he has proven himself at the international level as well, but a part of me thought that they would go abroad to fill that role," the ex-United States, Orlando City and Birmingham City man explained.
"I thought they would potentially be chasing someone like De Ligt but Maguire is a good player and I think he could be good for the club, but only for the right price.
"It seems like English players command a premium and if they could get him for the right price, I think it would be a good buy."
United have already moved to bolster their defence with the arrival of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace, a player Spector believes has the potential to break through at Old Trafford.
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"It’s a difficult one because I think the back four is certainly somewhere that they have had issues, but he had a really good season last year and hopefully he can replicate that," he added.
"It’s going to be difficult to nail down a starting position at the club. But they’ve bought somewhere that they need to strengthen and hopefully he will develop into the player that people think he will."
Romelu Lukaku, meanwhile, may be leaving Old Trafford, with Inter mooted as a possible destination.
And Spector is hopeful young star Marcus Rashford can take the opportunity to step up and prove a top-class heir to the Belgium international.
"I think it would be great if Rashford was able to step up and take that role but I don’t know that he is a finished product yet," he said.
"It‘s a young team that they’ve got and I think they need to find the right balance between youth and experience, and I’d love to see them bring in a proven goal scorer.
"More like a [former United star Ruud] van Nistelrooy. Which every club wants, someone you know who is going to get you a number of goals. Harry Kane is a perfect example, I’d love to see them bring in someone like that, but also I don’t know how much money is being made available for that position!"
