Neil Warnock baffled Man Utd did not sign complete Premier League star, he would be perfect for Ruben Amorim

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Former Sheffield United and Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has ruthlessly slammed Manchester United’s “poor” recruitment after failing to land one Premier League player.

Manchester United’s problems have caught up with the Premier League club amid the 2024-25 campaign, with the Red Devils languishing in the league table.

The Red Devils are 15th in the Premier League table and United are only 12 points above the relegation zone, with the club only managing eight league wins.

Ruben Amorim arrived at Old Trafford last November and the former Sporting CP boss has a mammoth task ahead of him for this season and beyond.

United reinforced significantly in the transfer window last summer for the first-team squad ahead of the 2024-25 Premier League season.

However, Erik ten Hag endured a disastrous start to the campaign and the former United boss was axed by the Premier League club last October.

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Warnock puzzled by failed Man Utd transfer

Speaking on the Seaman Says podcast, Neil Warnock admitted that he expected Manchester United to sign Declan Rice ahead of Arsenal in 2023.

Declan Rice had been linked with United and Manchester City in the past after a sensational run of form with Premier League side West Ham.

Arsenal won the race to sign the 26-year-old defensive midfielder, with the Gunners initially agreeing to a £100m transfer fee and a further £5m in add-ons.

Rice has been a key first-team player for Arsenal since his move to the Emirates and the England star has impressed at times with his presence in the midfield.

Neil Warnock has claimed that United ‘threw away’ money by signing players like Jadon Sancho, who is on loan at Chelsea, instead of trying to land the likes of Rice.

“I thought Man United should sign Declan Rice before he went to Arsenal,” he said.

“And I thought, spend a good amount of money on a good player, instead of buying three or four rubbish.

“When you look at Declan, you look at how he plays, it’s not a gamble, is it? He might have a bad game here and there, but it’s not a gamble.

“Was it Sancho, they played £70million or whatever? Some of the money they’ve thrown away, the recruitment’s been poor, hasn’t it?”

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Amorim could have used Rice at Man Utd

Ruben Amorim has been left short of midfield options for his preferred formation system at United, with the Red Devils showing vulnerabilities at times on the pitch.

Manuel Ugarte played under the 40-year-old United manager at Sporting CP and has been Amorim’s preferred midfield pick alongside Kobbie Mainoo this season.

However, both Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte have been hit with injuries in the season and Amorim has had to rotate his midfield options.

Bruno Fernandes has played in the United midfield, but the Portugal international’s influence has waned when he has played in the middle of the park.

Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, on the other hand, have both looked a shadow of their former selves and have fallen down the pecking order under Amorim.

Declan Rice, who was tipped as a Sir Alex Ferguson signing by one United legend, could have offered a lot to Amorim had United hijacked Arsenal’s move for him.