Graeme Souness believes Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are the one players in Manchester United’s squad who should not ‘average’.
The Red Devils signed each attacking stars in essentially the most recent summer transfer window from Wolves and Brentford respectively.
Ruben Amorim was keen to herald players with Premier League experience with United paying £62.5m to recruit Cunha.
Mbeumo, meanwhile, arrived at Old Trafford in a deal price £71m and has to date registered seven goals and an assist across 17 games for United.
But Liverpool legend and football pundit Souness doesn’t rate some other players in United’s squad, corresponding to Bruno Fernandes or Senne Lammens, and feels Amorim’s side will fail to complete in the highest 4 this term.
Get your football fix
Punchy evaluation, transfer talk and more from Metro’s football experts sent straight to your inbox – enroll, it’s an open goal.
Quizzed about United, who’re sixth within the top-flight table after 16 games and two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, Souness told Sky Bet: ‘[Manchester United] are still average.
‘Is it Ruben Amorim’s fault? Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo are good players, but the remaining of them are a mean lot.
‘I don’t see them attending to the highest 4, which they need to do.
‘Manchester United [are the] biggest club in [English] football, possibly the second, third biggest club in world football.
‘But right now, they’re going through a difficult period. They should get back into the Champions League for the plain reasons – to generate more finance, to purchase even higher players, and to be attractive to the real big players which are on the market which are up for grabs.
‘What Ruben Amorim’s got with that group of players is he doesn’t know what he’s going to get from them.
‘He doesn’t know what Manchester United he’s going to get, and that’s not place to be.
‘You’re sitting there with a wing and a prayer, “what are we going to get today? I hope everyone’s on it today”.
‘You may sit in your dressing room as a coach or manager and have a look at them before the sport.
‘You think that, “they’re all on it today, we’re going to have day today” – and so they exit and they’re not on it.
‘Or it may be the opposite way around. You’re considering within the dressing room at 2.50pm, “have a look at them, they’re quiet” – and so they exit and they’re on fire.
‘So that’s the issue that Man United have without delay. You don’t know what you’re getting from this group of players.’
United drew 4-4 with AFC Bournemouth of their last Premier League game and are back in motion on Sunday against third-placed Aston Villa.
MORE: Gary Neville makes worrying claim over £65m Manchester United signing
MORE: Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall injury update ahead of Newcastle United vs Chelsea
MORE: Igor Thiago injury update ahead of Wolves vs Brentford