Transfer Centre

Exclusive: Luke Chadwick questions "reactive" Manchester United transfer business

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 05 October 2020

Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick questions the club's transfer strategy this summer and believes that they have ignored a "glaringly obvious" problem.

Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has questioned the club's transfer strategy this summer.

The Red Devils have conducted a much-publicised pursuit of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho which looks set to fail with the German outfit refusing to budge on their asking price.

Donny van de Beek remains the only player through the door at Old Trafford this summer - although he is set to be joined by Edinson Cavani and Alex Telles on deadline day - and Chadwick questioned the strategy behind the business done by Ed Woodward so far.

"I don't think we can really judge it until the window is over. It does seem from the outside looking in that maybe all the eggs have been put in the Jadon Sancho basket and that's going to keep people happy for a certain period of time," Chadwick told Sports Mole.

"But I think it's been glaringly obvious since the start of the season that there needs to be another central defender to come in and offer more competition, be someone who plays every game really, with the back four that's playing at the moment. It does seem to be a little bit reactive in terms of there doesn't seem to be a huge recruitment plan there of what happens.

"It seems to be someone might become available and United go and try and get them. Obviously Van de Beek is a hugely talented football player but you wonder where he's going to play because I assume Bruno [Fernandes] is going to play every game, I assume [Paul] Pogba is going to play every game.

"We talk about the issues in the back four - if it's a Van de Beek, Bruno, Pogba (midfield) in front of them it doesn't offer a huge amount of protection to the back four so you look at the likes of [Nemanja] Matic and [Scott] McTominay who surely have to play at the moment to protect the back four to a certain extent."

Manchester United fell to a humbling 6-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.