Louis Saha urges Manchester United not to make ‘extremely dangerous’ £100million signing

Louis Saha fears Manchester United could be making an ‘extremely dangerous’ transfer mistake if they spend a huge chunk of next summer’s budget on Adam Wharton.

The Red Devils appeared to have turned a corner under Ruben Amorim and extended their unbeaten run to five games following Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham.

A more coherent transfer strategy appears to be reaping dividends with summer recruits Senne Lammens, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo all making eye-catching recent contributions.

Ruben Amorim’s midfield engine room, however, remains a work in progress and United are expected to invest heavily in that department of their team over the course of the next two windows.

Manue Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo have been reduced to bit-part roles with the latter likely to be the subject of renewed interest from Napoli in January.

Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, Amorim’s current first choice pairing, both face uncertain long-term futures which has led United to focusing on possible successors.

Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is firmly on United’s radar but England international Wharton is also highly regarded.

‘It’s a possibility (that Man Utd could sign Adam Wharton for £100 million next summer).’ former United striker Saha told OLBG .

‘I think Adam Wharton is a young lad. I do think that sometimes you have to be careful with those big signings.

‘I consider this new market to be extremely dangerous for clubs because you can see the hype that goes up and then you’re left surprised.

‘It took a bit of time for Moises Caicedo to settle at Chelsea as well so there are big signings and sometimes the expectations are too high.

‘You have to really read under the lines and that’s not easy. That’s really not an easy market.

‘People can throw big numbers. The agents are very pleased with that. I am not a big fan of this.’

Saha, meanwhile, feels a measure of sympathy for Mainoo who has made just eight appearances so far this season with his only start coming in the Carabao Cup defeat against Grimsby Town.

‘Kobbie Mainoo needs to believe and show confidence,’ said Saha. ‘He has been challenged physically, I think, more than technically.

‘The rhythm in his game needs to improve. This is the only thing I see because otherwise, football-wise, his brain is very sharp.

‘He needs to engage more, to create more, and definitely show aggressiveness. This is the type of thing that they’re asking for from every player so it’s not going to be only for him to show that. 

‘But yes, he’s been challenged and I think he’s got competition. I think sometimes they are not fair but I think it’s good for him.’