During the closing months of the season, Manchester United focused on the need for a defensiveMidfielder and an elite forward as their top priority.

Three weeks left of the transfer window and they are still without both. While neighbours Manchester City long snapped up KalvinPhillips and Erling Haaland for those positions, the Old Manchester side are scrambling around the cheap, easy to do, short term aisle.

They are trying to get a deal done that will allow him to play in the center of the park.

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To cure their issues of having a wantaway attacker and an injured attacker, they turned to a 33 year old.

Bologna's pricing of United out of a deal has caused a backlash from the fans.

There is more if you just scratch the surface.

The United who have preached a new era under the leadership of Eric ten Hag walked eyes wide open towards the opposite.

One of the most disruptive combinations in European football is Rabiot and Veronique. He turned down a World Cup call-up, she clashed with Paris Saint-Germain, the families of Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba, and so on and so forth.

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Following their continued unsuccessful pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, Manchester United are now said to be interested in signing Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
European Football expert Kevin Hatchard explains what Adrien Rabiot would bring to Manchester United if his proposed move to Old Trafford is completed

How did they land on a player who has clashed with coaches and captains and has the attitude of a kid?

With a new manager and an extensive restructure behind the scenes, how are United?

The entire window has been spent on Frenkie de Jong, the Barcelona player who wants to stay at the club. A basic agreement was reached with the Catalans to sign the progressiveMidfielder on July 14 and United have since stood by watching as a very public contractual dispute plays out between the two teams.

They have been waiting for the chance to hijack again.

In a recent off-record lunch, a sporting director of a premier league side was astonished that United hadn't tried for talent of a similar style like Ibrahim Sangare or Ruben Neves. They don't have a destroyer to complement his ball progression.

United missed a chance with Ryan Gravenberch and others.

The club said they didn't want to enter a bidding war for Darwin because they weren't interested in him and there was no market for him.

Benjamin Sesko will join the club from Red Bull Salzburg in July of 2023.

PSV's stance that if a club with strong financial resources come in, they know they can't retain star players is what makes the live interest in Gakpo so negligent. A smooth negotiation can be made easier by the presence of a former United player in their bench.

The overarching template of recruits this summer is someone who knows from the Eredivisie.

The manager is leading the approach to transfer. There isn't any faith in the recruitment structure. The scouting team might be too scared to suggest alternatives. Business dealings this summer may be reflective of the best-in-class approach.

United have made it clear that they are behind Ten Hag 100%. He isn't a sporting director or chief scout. Ensuring the right tools are in place for the club and team is what supporting a manager is all about.

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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Brighton's win against Manchester United in the Premier League

It was the recruitment team that directed the man to the person they wanted to sign. There was no Mario Gotze. The work of Begiristain has been praised by the man.

For a big club like Manchester United, you can't put all those jobs and tasks on the shoulders of one person. I don't know if this can be dealt with by one person.

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The club needs "open-heart surgery" due to their fumbling in the market and being aware of the tactical profile of Ten Hag.

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Roy Keane, Gary Neville
Gary Neville and Roy Keane analyse the issues at Manchester United after their loss to Brighton at Old Trafford

They all left a free. Dean Henderson and Alex Telles were only moved on loan. There are no offers for Wan-Bissaka orBailly.

In sales, United made all of the money thanks to the new signing. They are a poor seller compared to other teams.

The former two filling areas that weren't deemed critical are Christian Eriksen and LisandroMartinez.

Adding attacking depth is a concern along with right-back.

Should United have been surprised that a man obsessed with his own records and legacy would want to leave to stay at the top table?

The long-term planning for the forward line should have taken place regardless of the situation with the fans.

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Gary Neville criticises Manchester United's recent transfer policy after Sky Italy reported the club had a bid rejected for former West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic

"You don't need a player, you need the right one," Ten Hag said. The scale of what went wrong should shake United to the core.

The club don't currently count on many of the attributes of Rabiot in the middle of the field.

The drama series around him feels like they are taking what they can easily get rather than addressing what they need to.

The Rabiot turn is a great example of the club under the ownership of the Glazers. While greasing their push for the superior Leandro Paredes, United helped the Italians cure their headaches by taking the Frenchman off their hands.

Last week, United were painted as a party that was disorganized and disorganized.

Did they pay attention to their window? The sporting director joked: "Do they even use have a search engine?"