Not Baleba, not a striker – Gary Neville begs Man Utd to sign three players to ensure season isn’t a write-off

Manchester United have been told they may have little choice but to make two to three major signings after Carlos Baleba to ensure their season is not a disaster, with Gary Neville concerned that Michael Carrick’s side have too many easy-to-expose weaknesses to challenge for major honours this season.

The Red Devils have made rapid strides under the management of Michael Carrick, securing third place last season to book a much-welcomed return to the Champions League.

And in order to ensure the squad go deep into Europe’s premier competition, as well as sustaining a long-lasting Premier League title charge, United have invested serious funds into strengthening their central midfield options, already signing Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, and with Baleba next in line.

However, despite lining up a move to make the Brighton man their third midfield addition of the summer, taking their spending through the £155m mark, the Red Devils’ campaign got off to the worst start possible when they were humbled 2-0 by Premier League new boys Hull City at the MKM Stadium.

With both goals exposing United’s vulnerabilities in defence, and particularly from set-pieces, Neville has warned United they’ll need to strengthen their rearguard options before the window slams shut to ensure their campaign is not over before it begins, ideally suggesting they need two full-backs and a new centre-half to help them reach their potential this season.

Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast: “Hull did everything they had to in terms of competing, being aggressive, organised and hard to break down.

“Manchester United fell short in those areas in the early stages of the game, and they have struggled at times against teams that play deeper.

“It’s a massive wake-up call. Hull didn’t just match Man United physically but were better than them in that area, and that will be the big disappointment for Michael Carrick.

“Too many players were well below par, and he will want that to just be a blip; you can’t let it stretch into next weekend as well, they have to be at it.

“What it did highlight is that Man United defence isn’t good enough. To be fair, the club probably know that; they rebuilt the forward line last summer and rebuilt the midfield this summer with a few signings.

“I don’t know if they’ve got the money or not, but they do need a centre-back, and they do need full-backs. They just do. There’s no other way of putting it really. That was highlighted on Saturday.”

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Despite the loss and admitting the Red Devils had suffered an off-day, the United manager is refusing to panic.

“It’s one game. It’s the first game of the season, so it’s disappointing enough, and it hurts, of course it does.

“But it’s one game; it doesn’t change the whole course of the direction the team or the football club is going in. We’ll stay calm, stay in the bubble and focus on next week.

“One hundred per cent [we’re looking ahead]. That’s what I mean: [we need to] understand the bigger picture.

“It doesn’t make today any easier, but when you pull yourself away from it and what we’re trying to achieve, where we want to be, where we’ve come from, what’s on this week, what’s on the weeks after and building up to the first international break, the run of games, the chapter, what it looks like, finishing the transfer window strong, all them things come into play.

“Just right now, standing here looking at this pitch, it’s a disappointing feeling.”

TEAMtalk understands that, once Baleba is signed, United’s next priority remains signing a new left-back.

While a move for Lewis Hall appears to have been ruled out and looks too expensive for United, they have been given serious encouragement that a deal for a quality LaLiga star can be done, after the cost of a deal came to light.

United are also keeping their eyes open to the possibility of adding to their strikeforce, particularly if Joshua Zirkzee – or potentially still Marcus Rashford – gets a move away.

To that end, sources revealed on Monday that the Red Devils are among several sides to be offered a wantaway 135-goal Crystal Palace man.