Man Utd slammed for not signing £51m star as ‘proven’ Sesko upgrade after ‘head-scratching’ deal
Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen thinks INEOS made two transfer mistakes in the summer.
In the summer, Man Utd invested over £150m to rebuild their midfield with the signings of Andrey Santos, Carlos Baleba and Youri Tielemans.
The Red Devils also recruited Karl Darlow and several up-and-coming talents, but it has been argued that head coach Michael Carrick has been left short in other positions.
Man Utd also arguably could have done with signing a left-back, centre-back, winger and/or striker, but they stuck with their current squad.
And Meulensteen thinks Man Utd were foolish for not signing Al-Hilal striker Ollie Watkins as an upgrade on Benjamin Sesko before he left Aston Villa.
“I do think United are a bit short upfront. Benjamin Sesko is still young and improving – he showed his worth again coming off the bench to score that important goal against Everton and again in midweek against Sabah,” Meulensteen told TEAMtalk.
“And they have other players who can operate up top, like Matheus Cunha or Bryan Mbeumo, but they aren’t out-and-out centre forwards.
“I would have liked to see them bring in another striker who offers something completely different to Sesko, giving Carrick a different option to play with up front.”
On Watkins, who moved to Al-Hilal in a £51m transfer, Meulensteen added: “Could Ollie Watkins have been that player? Possibly, yes. You’re talking about a proven striker who knows how to score goals and understands the Premier League.
“He would have offered something that helped Manchester United. But when clubs from Saudi Arabia come calling with that kind of money, it’s very difficult to hold onto a player, and it’s very difficult for the player to say no.”
“I had a bit of a scratch of the head when I heard…”
Meulensteen has also questioned Man Utd’s decision to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea in a ‘head-scratching’ deal.
“To be fairly honest, I don’t think Santos and Baleba are that similar,” Meulensteen continued.
“But I had a bit of a scratch of the head when I heard United were paying that much money (£50m) to sign Santos from a direct competitor like Chelsea – you have to ask yourself why Chelsea were so keen to let him go.
“While both are good on the ball, Baleba brings far more power and explosiveness – he’s the one I think, when fit, could really make a difference.
“Santos is more of a link player. In the big games, I think we will end up seeing more of Baleba than Santos.
“When you look at the midfield combinations – whether it’s Mainoo, Tielemans, or Baleba – that’s where I see United’s two coming from, with Bruno [Fernandes] given the freedom to express himself further forward.”
