Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has questioned the quality of players that the club have signed in recent years.

Manuel Ugarte was brought in for an initial €50m (£42m) from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer but the Uruguayan has not started United’s last two matches against Porto and Aston Villa. Speaking about the midfielder’s situation, Scholes said:

“This Ugarte is a prime example. He has brought him in to improve this team. Now, after two games, he isn’t playing. There has to be something fundamentally wrong with that.”

“The players they go in for, it seems like they are too easy to get. They aren’t players that you aren’t competing with an Arsenal, Manchester City, Barcelona or a Real Madrid for these players anymore. You are bringing in players that aren’t playing for their teams. You think of de Ligt at Bayern, he couldn’t get into the team. Ugarte at PSG, he couldn’t get into the team.”

Why has Ugarte been left out?

The Uruguayan international was on the receiving end of plenty of criticism following his displays against FC Twente and Tottenham so there is justification for him being benched.

Many felt, however, that Ugarte just needed more minutes on the pitch as he didn’t really have a pre-season with PSG. Ten Hag even suggested that the player needed many weeks to get up to full fitness.

However, the Dutchman’s decision to keep him as an unused substitute in their last two matches completely contradicts those remarks. How can he get up to speed if he can’t get on the pitch?

United’s recruitment has been poor

Even if we do discount Ugarte, though, it’s clear that the vast majority of ten Hag’s other signings have failed to produce the goods.

As Scholes points out, very few were being pursued by other top clubs, and that does tell you something about their overall quality.

Find out who is in Manchester United’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here