Manchester United legend urges INEOS to avoid making specific Arsène Wenger mistake

Manchester United legend Andy Cole has urged the INEOS leadership at the club to avoid making one mistake that Arsène Wenger did at Arsenal during his tenure.

Cole, 52, spent six years at Old Trafford and is famously known for his role in United’s treble-winning season in 1998/99.

The Premier League legend has addressed the problem that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS team need to avoid when looking to add defenders to Erik ten Hag’s current squad in the summer transfer window.

Reports have stated that a central defender, alongside other roles, is one of the main positions that INEOS are looking to bolster at the end of the season.

However, when asked if the likes of Victor Lindelöf and Harry Maguire need replacing, Cole stated that the club needs to ensure that they are actually getting upgrades on the players.

“What’s the upgrade on those two players going to be? In recent history, Manchester United have continued to sign players that aren’t better than what they already have,” Cole told BetFred.

“Manchester City are an example of a team that will always sign a player that’s better than what they’ve already got and that’s what football is all about.

“Sir Alex Ferguson always aimed to bring in players that were better than what he had at his disposal and he did that to elevate the performances of the players in the squad that were too comfortable.”

The United legend went on to warn United by recalling the situation of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. He believes that the London-based club failed to improve in their backline because they were not spending ‘big money’ on an upgrade.

“If Manchester United are looking to bring in a couple of centre-backs this summer, the club needs to know that they’re better than Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.

“Manchester United have spent around £300 million on centre-backs in the last ten years and people haven’t been convinced by a lot of them. It’s a bit like Wenger syndrome when Arsène Wenger wouldn’t spend big money on one brilliant centre-back, but instead, he would buy one for £8 million, one for £12 million and none of them were better than the other. 

“Manchester United have wasted too much money on centre-backs.”