Paul Ince has warned that Manchester United will face "a lot of issues next season" unless they spend big in the summer transfer window.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has the Red Devils in contention for Europa League glory this season, but all other avenues to success have been shut off and no Premier League title challenge has been staged.
Speculation continues to suggest that there could be a number of departures in the next window - with questions being asked of Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba, David de Gea and Donny van de Beek - and Ince fears another rebuild could soon be on the cards.
What has been said?
The former United midfielder told Sky Sports on the back of seeing Solskjaer's side play out a goalless draw at Leeds: "They are not as far off as we thought two years ago. They are progressing gradually.
"But on that performance (against Leeds) they are a long way (off), they have been so inconsistent this season it is hard to judge.
"They need money, they need a striker. It looks like Cavani is going to Boca Juniors. They are going to have a lot of issues next season.
"David de Gea is on £300k a week plus as a number two [goalkeeper]. Pogba might be going. Van de Beek cost £40 million ($56m) and can’t even get a game.
"They are going to need to invest. But to win titles you need consistent performances week in and week out. And we have not seen that this season from United even if they have got the results."
Is Solskjaer the right man for the job?
Ince has been outspoken when it comes to managerial choices at Old Trafford, with the ex-England international making no secret of the fact that he feels others should have been approached ahead of Solskjaer.
He continues to push that opinion, saying of the current coaching regime: "Listen, I think Ole is always calm and doesn’t get too emotional about situations. At the time, when they gave Ole the job, I thought he was really inexperienced for one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"I thought there were better managers out there with more experience, like Steve Bruce or Mark Hughes, who could have come in and done a better job.
"But saying that, he’s obviously changed the mindset of the players after [Jose] Mourinho and the results have been very, very good. The performances have still been really inconsistent, even last week against Burnley, it wasn’t a great performance.
"We look at their away record, they keep going behind and then coming back. They’ve got great character and mental toughness to come back.
"As a manager, you don’t want to keep going behind in games and having to come back but it shows you’ve got the character and mental side to do that.
"Listen, next year, Chelsea will be strong, Arsenal will be, Spurs will be, there will be a lot of teams that are strong. At the moment, well done, but there’s still a long way to go."
United will be back in continental action on Thursday when taking in the first leg of a Europa League semi-final showdown with Roma, before then welcoming arch-rivals Liverpool to Old Trafford on Sunday.
Further reading
- Bailly closing in on new Man Utd contract
- Shaw: Manchester United 'need to be better'
- Varane addresses Man Utd & Chelsea links