“If you have Pogba and Bruno, why do you need Van de Beek?”

Manchester United faced this summer full of illusion. With the qualification for the Champions in his pocket after his fantastic final sprint and a team loaded with present and future, it seemed that, with a few summer touches, the resurgence of the Red Devils could be a reality. The Mancunian fans celebrated the signing of Donny van de Beek, waiting to see what finally happens with Jadon Sancho (every day more complicated), but not everyone believes that the addition of the Dutchman is positive for the interests of the team. Peter Crouch, now retired, charged against United's transfer strategy at Daily Mail.

“I had high hopes for United this summer, but once again the way they have dealt with the transfer market has left me confused,” begins the former striker. “They seem to buy good players, like Donny van de Beek, but they don't seem to have a strategy. If you have Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes, why do you need Van de Beek?”he continued.

Furthermore, he reasoned the move that, in his opinion, would have made sense: “Why didn't they go after a striker, like Wolverhampton's Raúl Jiménez?”. While also expressing his doubts about the Red Devils obsession with Jadon Sancho: “The defense needs more strength, why are they focusing on Sancho instead of looking for a partner in Harry Maguire? Sancho is a sensational player, don't get me wrong, but How much would it improve Martial, Rashford and Greenwood? Everyone can occupy the same positions. The 115 million could be better invested in another position, “he concluded.

Van de Beek, meanwhile, debuted with a goal in his debut with United, although he was lost at times. However, the goal did not help to avoid the surprising defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace (1-3). Next Saturday, during the Solskjaer visit to Brighton (1:30 pm), the new red devil will have a new opportunity to convince Peter Crouch that he is wrong and that he was the missing piece of the United puzzle. Instead, the question of the former Liverpool player remains in the air: Does Manchester United have a good transfer strategy?