Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has strongly urged the club to avoid the lure of players like Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe should the France international become available this summer.
It’s shaping up to be a big summer transfer window, with Manchester United returning to the Champions League.
With formal talks scheduled between United and Michael Carrick, the focus will soon shift to new signings as Ineos aims to help take the team to the next level ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Every man and his dog has an opinion on what United need to do this summer, but few have views that carry the weight of Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant coach, Rene Meulensteen.
Pick your DREAM summer midfield rebuild within the reported budgets…
Who is the first name you want?
Rene Meulensteen doesn’t want Kylian Mbappe at Man Utd
Although Kylian Mbappe is recognised as one of the best forwards in the game, the 27-year-old is not what United need.
That shouldn’t be deemed an unpopular opinion because United should be stronger for using the money it would take to sign Mbappe on revamping the midfield.
United will prioritise replacing former Real Madrid midfielder Casemiro in the summer, with the club linked to Aurelien Tchouameni should the fellow Frenchman leave the Bernabeu.
However, Meulensteen has told BOYLE Sports that United should avoid players like Real Madrid duo Mbappe and Vinicius Jr should they become available in the summer.
Meulensteen doesn’t believe that Mbappe or Vinicius Jr are team players, which he cites as one of Madrid’s biggest issues after failing this season.
“Man United should steer clear of Kylian Mbappe for one reason, Mbappe is not a team player,” Meulensteen said.
“That’s the whole problem with Real Madrid. Vinicius Jr is not a team player.
“Those are the players that would never ever feature under somebody like Luis Enrique. And Pep Guardiola, when he started in Barcelona. Because they have got a very straightforward policy, which is about doing the work that you need to do upfront.
“Every pressing action filters down to the midfield and the defence, making everything so much easier. But if you haven’t got that discipline and work rate it doesn’t work.
“To me, it’s not a surprise that Mbappe left PSG with Lionel Messi and Neymar and then they won the Champions League. They were not ready to do what the team needed physically.
“So I would be very, very much against Mbappe at United because they have good hardworking team players and it would be moving away from that.”
With Mbappe’s future up in the air and United back in the Champions League, it seems inevitable that some outlet will link United to the former PSG star at some point this summer.
Credit to Meulensteen for getting his accurate verdict in early.
- ⚡️ NEWS IN BRIEF
- Rene Meulensteen doesn’t want Kylian Mbappe or Vinicius Jr at Manchester United
- The former United coach doesn’t consider the Real Madrid duo to be team players
- Meulensteen wants United to have a team of hardworking players
WHO would be your ideal ‘experienced striker’ for Man United to sign this summer?
Who would benefit Sesko the most…
Rene Meulensteen takes issue with Man Utd’s approach to Michael Carrick decision
Meulensteen believes United have already taken too long to offer Carrick the contract he’s earned to remain in the hot seat at Old Trafford.
“If you are making such an important decision about the future of the club, you should never let the emotions of winning or losing a game influence you.
“By this time, the conversation should have already been held. If I were the CEO or the person responsible for hiring or not hiring Michael Carrick, I would have already spoken with him.
“I would have said, ‘Listen, Michael, present me with the plan. How do you think you’re going to make Manchester United a title challenger next season, not in two or three years, but next year? What do we need to keep? What do we need to add? And how are you going to go about it?’ Those conversations should have already taken place.
“Now, is Manchester United going to hold out for a potential other manager that might become available? Earlier in the year, as we spoke about before, there were rumors that Luis Enrique wouldn’t continue with Paris Saint-Germain, and straight away he was linked, which is obviously a big name and a manager with a proven pedigree.
“The one thing that counts for Michael Carrick is that he’s played for the club, he knows what it is to be in a successful environment and culture, and he knows what is expected from Manchester United.
“He carries himself well, and the players respond really well. But on the other hand, he hasn’t managed Manchester United throughout a Champions League campaign, and he hasn’t won any trophies as a manager yet. And that’s constantly the debate people will have.
“But the most important thing for the hierarchy of Manchester United, in my opinion, is to listen really carefully to the key players in that squad at this moment in time. Listen to them, listen to how they felt Michael has done over the last period that he took over. I’m sure they will all be very positive because it shows in the results and the performances.
“So, that is the way to go about it. If it goes wrong again, just because of the fact that if you were to lose or not win both of the last games, then suddenly people go, ‘Well, you know…’
“It’s a bit of a catch-22, but those conversations, in my opinion, should have already been held, and that decision behind the scenes should have already been made.
“That should have been clarified to Michael: ‘Brilliant, well done. We put you in as an interim, but this is where it stops. We’re going to go for X, Y, Z.’ Or, ‘Michael, we put you in as an interim, but you’ve done a fantastic job. You’ve convinced us that you know where we want to go. We’re going to give you another year or two years.’”
The important point Meulensteen appears to miss is that United initially said they would announce a permanent head coach at the end of the season.
There’s been no reason to rush the decision, and Carrick remains relaxed about the situation.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
