Dwight Yorke isn't a fan of Manchester United's recruitment of players in the Erik ten Hag era.
Ten Hag is in his third full season as manager of the Red Devils, and the 54-year-old has brought in several high-priced players as he's reshaped the squad to his liking.
However, the moves have yet to pay off as United appear no closer to rejoining the Premier League elite than they were when Ten Hag took over in 2022, despite the club having spent hundreds of millions of pounds on player acquisitions during that time.
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For Yorke, who won a treble with United in 1999 and several other trophies in his four seasons at Old Trafford, the expenditure under Ten Hag simply doesn't match the output as results having been lacking for a club currently mired in 13th place in the league standings.
Speaking to Prime Casino, Yorke questioned whether Ten Hag can rightfully ask for more money to buy players when then ones he's brought in have not led to success and when a top-four finish is the stated goal.
"Whether he gets it or not, it’s a different story," Yorke said. "£600 million is a lot of money, but we’ve seen the players, and I think we’re just buying the players to help us finish fourth. I don’t think we’re buying players to win the league. You’ve got to walk before you can run, but United are so far gone that the players they're bringing in are not even starters for their national sides.
"We’re not playing to win the league, that’s gone out of our head. Investing in that type of player, you’re likely to finish fourth. There’s no aspiration at the club, because I haven’t heard United say in the last few years that they are aiming to win the league. If you’re not sending out that message, how would I think we’re going to win? When the top four is all I hear coming out of the club, as a player, that’s what I’m thinking is the target."
Yorke compared the players brought in during the current era with those who donned the United shirt in the past, and the the former Premier League Golden Boot winner admitted that the difference is "baffling" to him.
"It’s where we are as a club, and it’s baffling just how far we’ve fallen, but the players are simply nowhere near as good as they’re making out," he said. "We’re behind the tier of the highest standard. We’re not going for the very best players. When you’re bringing them in, what are you expecting, to win the league? Because you won’t. Ten Hag only seems to buy players that only he knows, not bought anyone surprising."
As for who he thinks United should be going for in the transfer market, Yorke named a couple of players who have been in high demand recently and questioned why the club have dropped their traditional standards when targeting potential acquisitions.
"Players like Alexander Isak at Newcastle and Michael Olise at Bayern Munich. You can’t tell me that they wouldn’t have come to Manchester United," he said.
"You want hungry players to come in at United and take the club forward. These current signings, we don’t know them until they actually come to the club. They say, ‘Yeah, he played in the Dutch league, or Bologna,’ and I‘m not saying they’re bad players, but are they United players?
"They’ve got away from bringing in players the traditional way. The manager’s job should be to sign players that actually improve your team, and to improve the players."
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