Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson says he is not impressed with Manchester United’s decision to sign Sergio Reguilon on loan from Tottenham.

He claims the failure to pay the loan fee for Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella and the subsequent signing of Reguilon demonstrate how far the club has fallen behind rivals Manchester City:

“The Sir Alex Ferguson days are long gone. They’re as far away from winning the league as you’ll ever see. I know everyone’s a long way off Manchester City but they’re a million miles off.”

“You forget they’re one of the biggest teams in the world. Man Utd can’t even stump up £7m for Marc Cucurella. They’re taking a player [Sergio Reguilon] that can’t even play for Tottenham.”

Merson is being rather harsh with his remarks but there is some merit to what he is saying. Reguilon was sent to Atletico Madrid on loan last campaign, and he barely got a kick.

Over the course of the season, the La Liga club gave him just two starts in total before he returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. At the London club, he had fallen behind Ben Davies, Ivan Perisic and new signing Destiny Udogie in the pecking order.

United were only seeking a short-term fix to solve an injury crisis

While Merson is right to question Reguilon’s quality, you can’t really claim that his arrival is symptomatic of the club’s transfer business as a whole.

They have spent over £180m during the summer window, which may not be close to Chelsea’s spending levels but it is only £30m less than City and £20m more than Liverpool.

Reguilon arrived as emergency cover for the injured Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, who both could be out for extended periods of time. Once the pair are back fit, the fullback’s game time is likely to be minimal.

Who were the winners and losers from the summer transfer window? Watch this video on Shots! TV