‘Never good enough’ – Teddy Sheringham claims Man Utd have made £35m transfer mistake

Teddy Sheringham has questioned Manchester United’s decision to sign Youri Tielemans, insisting the midfielder is ‘not good enough’ for Michael Carrick’s side.

The Red Devils made it a priority to bolster their central midfield this summer following the departure of Casemiro at the end of last season.

United had been linked with the likes of Elliot Anderson, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, but saw their efforts gazumped by rivals Manchester City and Tottenham.

Instead, the club turned to other Premier League proven talent, signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Tielemans from Aston Villa.

The arrival of Tielemans for just £35million has been praised by many, with former United midfielder Nicky Butt hailing the deal as the ‘signing of the summer’.

But Sheringham is not as convinced by the 29-year-old’s arrival, and believes his former club should have ‘broken the bank’ to sign their loftier targets earlier in the window.

‘Manchester United have already missed their opportunity to sign the other midfielder they needed because all the big players have gone now,’ he told MetBonus.

‘If you want the best, you have to go and pay for it. We’ve seen it over the years. Look back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s time in charge.

‘He went and broke the bank to go and get these top young players who were going to lead by example.

‘Is Youri Tielemans going to lead by example or is he going to go into United to have a bit of fun, enjoy the ride, feeling happy to be there? No.

‘He’s not going to change everyone’s view of Manchester United or demand more and take them back to the top. He’s going to make them OK, and that’s never good enough for a club like Manchester United.’

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has also shared his reservations about United’s decision to sign Tielamans, saying on The Overlap: ‘The thing with Tielemans, I was watching the Super Cup and I’d just seen that Man United were on ITV playing Leeds, so I put it on.

‘It just came to me a little bit – Tielemans was taking a corner, and it come to me, he’s a good player, don’t get me wrong.

‘But you’d almost feel like he should have been at United a few years ago, then gone to Villa – not being at Villa, then gone to United.

‘I’m not saying he’s had his best days, but it almost felt like the wrong way round. The last three years should have been at United, and then he gets sold to Villa.’

United are poised to sign their third central midfielder of the summer window, with reports indicating they are closing to agreeing a deal for Carlos Baleba.

The Red Devils have held a long-standing interest in the Brighton midfielder and have lodged a bid an initial bid in the region of £60million plus £5m in add-ons.

While that offer is below Brighton’s valuation, it is said that both clubs are keen to finalise a deal for the 22-year-old Cameroon international.

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