'Man Utd need four players like Fernandes' - Red Devils must spend more to compete for 'big trophies', says Saha

Manchester United need four players like Bruno Fernandes, according to Louis Saha, who says the Red Devils must spend more to compete for the "big trophies".

Solskjaer has spent in excess of £200 million ($264m) on new players since inheriting the managerial reins at Old Trafford, bringing in talent such as Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fernandes and Donny van de Beek with a view to bringing back the glory days.

That sizeable investment has yet to deliver tangible success in the form of major silverware, with the Red Devils still struggling for consistency and lagging behind Liverpool and Manchester City.

United's patchy form has continued at the start of the 2020-21 campaign and they have slipped to 14th in the Premier League standings after seven fixtures, recording three wins, three defeats and one draw.

A 3-1 victory at Everton on Saturday eased some of the pressure on Solskjaer heading into the international break, with Fernandes scoring twice before setting up summer signing Edinson Cavani to score his first goal for the club.

The Portuguese quickly established himself as a talismanic figure in the squad following his €55 million (£50m/$50m) move from Sporting, and he now has an impressive 18 goals and 13 assists to his name from his first 33 games in the red shirt.

However, Saha thinks his old club are still short of a few players who share the same winning mentality as Fernandes, with further reinforcements a necessity if an unwanted trophyless streak is to be ended in the near future.

"The focus is on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer," the former United striker told Stadium Astro. "But you also have to look at the recruitment. Some new signings like (£47million midfielder) Fred, you can see the quality but he’s not going to make the difference.

"The signing of Fernandes, you need four of them. You need four of them to actually compete and this is what is missing. You need to know the mentality of new players.

"I want players there who want to win the Champions League and win big trophies. This is what is required here."