United chiefs privately admit regret over Santos, Tielemans and left-back gap after worst start in 40 years

Manchester United’s hierarchy have privately admitted to three transfer regrets from the summer window, with senior figures acknowledging that Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans were ‘a long way down the list’ of their original targets, and that the club should have signed a left-back to provide cover for Luke Shaw.

The admissions come after United’s draw with Tottenham left them with just six points from their opening six Premier League matches — their worst league start in 40 years — under manager Michael Carrick.

United spent £155m in the transfer market this summer, bringing in Santos, Tielemans and Carlos Baleba to replenish their midfield. That figure falls well short of the £225.2m spent 12 months earlier on Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko. According to the Sun, Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ederson were among the club’s preferred targets before they settled on the players they did sign.

Of particular frustration is the failed pursuit of Atalanta midfielder Ederson, with United reported to have withdrawn from a deal after an issue arose during the player’s medical. Santos, signed for £50m, has managed just 16 minutes of action since starting in the opening-day defeat to Hull City, while Tielemans has featured in all eight matches so far this season.

The failure to address the left-back position has also drawn internal criticism, despite reported interest in Newcastle’s Lewis Hall during the window.

Speaking after the Tottenham draw, former midfielder Jamie Redknapp was blunt in his assessment of Carrick’s squad. “I do not see enough connections in that midfield and they look devoid of any confidence, ideas, or patterns of play,” Redknapp said. “Tottenham were just much better than them in every department, but that is just a theme this season.”

Redknapp added that the energy levels across the squad were a concern. “The squad is not good or strong enough and Michael needs help in that respect. In terms of how they played today, they have an issue with Tielemans and Mainoo in midfield — I do not see enough energy in there. Baleba will add a lot and will give them a tremendous amount of energy.”

United’s difficult start has raised questions about whether the summer rebuild was sufficient to mount a serious challenge, with the club having recorded a strong end to the previous campaign before the window opened.