Wayne Rooney has criticised Manchester United's recent attacking signings, saying the club is 'deluded' if it believes the new front three are good enough to take the team to the next level.
United are 16th in the Premier League after eight matches, having been convincingly beaten by Bournemouth last weekend. Michael Carrick's side are winless in their last eight matches in all competitions.
Transfer Strategy Under Fire
The club's summer transfer window strategy prioritised midfield signings but failed to address a lack of depth at left-back and in forward areas. Rooney believes United are paying the price for that lack of investment.
'You knew that Luke Shaw weren't going to play all the games,' Rooney told Stick To United. 'You knew that Harry Maguire would struggle with Champions League football. Martinez would struggle with Champions League football and play in that, so why on earth do you not go and bring players in?'
'Why don't you help the players? And then, for instance, you could say to Harry Maguire, we're going to keep you for the Premier League, and we maybe bring someone in to play Champions League football and balance the squad out. And they've done none of that.'
New Signings Questioned
Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko were all brought in last summer to freshen United's forward line. While all three have shown promise in spells, Rooney is not convinced any of them should be viewed as long-term solutions.
'They're deluded if they think the front three that they've brought in are good enough; they're not,' Rooney added.
'They want some players who've played in the Premier League. They're bringing players in from Wolves, from Brentford, who have done well and done well for them clubs.'
Champions League Hopes Dismissed
Rooney said the current squad is 'a million miles away from being champions' and dismissed any hopes of reaching the Champions League.
'But to take this current group of Manchester United players, for them to sign and to take this team into the next level, into the Champions League, you know, you're living in Cuckooland if you think they're going to achieve that. So the squad is absolutely a million miles away from being champions.'
Despite United's poor start, Carrick is expected to remain in his post for Saturday's clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann appear to be the two frontrunners to replace Carrick if he is sacked, while Antonio Conte and Unai Emery have also been linked as potential candidates.
