Liverpool told FOUR signings needed to rectify transfer mistakes; Man Utd need FIVE – Paul Ince exclusive

Liverpool have been told they are still four players away from having a side strong enough to compete for Premier League glory, despite their lavish summer spending, while Manchester United are five players short of where they need to be, Paul Ince has exclusively told us.

Ince sat down for a chat with TEAMtalk to discuss the upcoming transfer windows and feels both his former clubs have plenty of work to do before they can close the gap on Arsenal and Manchester City and thrust themselves back into the title picture next season.

Liverpool spent an unprecedented £440m (€505m, $600m) on new players this summer, though they did claw a significant amount back through player sales.

However, the reigning Premier League champions have stuttered and stumbled their way through the campaign so far and already appear out of the title race, dropping some 10 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

The challenge now for Arne Slot is to ensure the Reds at least make the top four, before deciding what areas of his squad to address next.

At the very least, Ince feels Liverpool need a new centre-half and right-back as their most urgent priorities.

“Liverpool definitely need a centre-back and a right-back,” Ince, speaking on behalf of the Covers.com World Cup betting team, said.

“While Conor Bradley has played there [at right-back] and Dominik Szoboszlai has covered there a few times, he’s not a full-back. I like Bradley, and he’s going to be a very good player, but he’s still learning his trade.

“Liverpool could also strengthen on the flanks – losing both Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the summer was massive. Hopefully they can keep [Mohamed] Salah and Cody Gakpo, but playing Hugo Ekitike on the left-hand side isn’t a solution; he’s not a winger!”

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Ince feels Man Utd are five players short – and makes big Kobbie Mainoo claim

Ince was more critical of another of his former clubs, Manchester United, and while he respects Ruben Amorim’s obsession with playing 3-4-2-1, he still feels they are five players short of truly bringing the formation to life.

“For Manchester United, where do I start? They need two central midfield players. I’m also not sure about Benjamin Sesko as a striker, it’s maybe too early to tell. Joshua Zirkzee needs a move, that’s for sure.

“Ruben Amorim is very passionate about his 3-5-2 formation, but he desperately needs proper wing-backs. Currently, Amad Diallo is a winger playing as wing-back, so he doesn’t really know that role.”

Ince, meanwhile, has also had his say on Kobbie Mainoo, with the midfielder continuing to be left out of Amorim’s starting line-ups.

While Mainoo did come off the bench on Monday night against Bournemouth, he remains down the Portuguese’s wishlist, and unwanted attention arrived after his half-brother was spotted wearing a T-shirt with a ‘free Kobbie’ message on the front.

As a result, Ince fears he could be on the move, despite still being a fan favourite at Old Trafford.

“Kobbie Mainoo looked sharp against Bournemouth, and you could tell the fans are backing him. When he came on, he got a rousing applause from Old Trafford,” Ince said, before adding: “But he needs to have more game time in a World Cup year.

“He was an exciting prospect when he broke through, but he’s dropped off for some reason.

“Whether it’s because he doesn’t have the support from Ruben Amorim, I don’t know. It will be interesting to see what happens during the January transfer window.”

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Man Utd open talks for Ruben Neves; FSG make strong Salah statement

Elsewhere, United’s transfer strategy will continue to take shape with the club increasingly focused on signing players already proven in the Premier League, and we can reveal that a quartet of players from Bournemouth are firmly on their radar.

We can also reveal United have been sounded out over a potential deal to bring Ruben Neves back to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, at Anfield, Salah will be told by Liverpool’s top brass that they have ZERO intention of allowing him to leave in January when they meet with his agent this week, though two sources have now made it clear exactly where the player wants to move if he does depart Merseyside.

Richard Hughes is also being tipped to rectify a mistake he made in the summer transfer window by bolstering Slot’s midfield engine room in the January window, with a talented box-to-box Italy international reportedly on the club’s radar.