‘United could have written a book on how not to do transfers’ – Robbie Fowler slams Manchester United’s recruitment

Robbie Fowler has criticised Manchester United’s transfer policy, with Liverpool closing in on the signing of Darwin Nunez from Benfica.

United were reportedly interested in bringing the prolific Uruguayan to Old Trafford, but the Reds are now within touching distance of securing his services for a fee in the region of €80 million, plus a €20m add-ons fee.

The Red Devils have made a host of underwhelming signings for huge fees in recent years, including £80 million spent on Harry Maguire and a then world-record fee of £89 million for Paul Pogba.

Alexis Sanchez was also brought to Old Trafford amidst plenty of fanfare in a swap deal with Arsenal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan in January 2018, but the Chilean was a huge flop after scoring only five goals in forty-five appearances across all competitions.

“I don’t want to be cruel, but United could have written a book on how not to do transfers in recent seasons. Signing players just because you don’t want them to go to a rival? Check and double check.”

The Liverpool legend lambasted United for those decisions to bring Sanchez and Pogba to the club on inflated wages, believing they could learn a thing or two from their arch-rivals in the transfer market, a and questioned the decision to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club last summer.

He added: “Cristiano has done his job well enough, but signing him because he could have gone to City? That just had disaster written all over it. And the same with Alexis Sanchez. No, not the same, 10 times worse.

“That deal highlights everything that has been wrong at Old Trafford. How much did it cost? About £500,000 a week in wages, which I saw somewhere cost them about £20 million a goal!

“Much, much worse though, was that it didn’t just break United’s pay structure, it shattered it. That’s how a goalkeeper can end up on £400,000 a week, and a midfielder like Pogba who couldn’t even get in the team half the time on even more.

“And that’s where I think Liverpool have got it right. I can understand there are many, many people questioning why they’re letting Sadio Mane go, asking ‘why not give him the wages he wants?’

“It’s the same with (Mohamed) Salah too. But what impresses me about the thinking at Anfield, is nothing is done in haste. Everything is analysed, decisions are made with planning over years, not months.”

Fowler went on to praise Liverpool for the decision to potentially usher Sadio Mane out the door and replace him with a younger and hungrier player.

However, he applauded United’s decision to appoint Erik ten Hag, and is confident the Dutchman can follow Jurgen Klopp’s example and turn a mediocre squad into one that can challenge for major honours again.

Klopp took over as Reds boss in October 2015 and oversaw a disappointing domestic campaign, which saw Liverpool finish eighth in the Premier League.

But the German had put the building blocks in place for future success, taking the club to a Europa League final at the end of his first season, before reaching the Champions League final two years later.

He led Liverpool to a sixth Champions League triumph in 2019 and the club’s first league title for 30 years in 2020, after winning the Premier League at a canter, finishing 18 points clear of Manchester City.

“You look at their pursuit of Nunez, and the only chance they have of getting him is by smashing Liverpool’s offer,” Fowler added. “Tempting him with huge amounts of cash. But again, that is following the Sanchez plan and it doesn’t work.

“What they should do is follow Klopp’s plan when he first arrived at Anfield. He knew he couldn’t compete with the likes of City, United and Chelsea in the market, so he found players they didn’t want – at the right price and wages – and turned them into stars.

“Ten Hag definitely has the qualities as a manager to do that. It takes time, but it’s the right way to go, and he should be given all the time he needs, even if it takes five years like Klopp, or Sir Alex Ferguson.”