Forget Bryan Mbuemo - Man Utd should sign £40m star in deal that would shock the Premier League - opinion

Beggars can't be choosers, and Manchester United are finding out the hard way how difficult recruitment can be for a team looking to rebuild from back to front and everywhere in between.

It isn't quite panic stations just yet, but there is a growing sense of nervousness amongst the Old Trafford faithful with regards to the situation ahead of the players returning for pre-season training.

Ruben Amorim would have wanted to move on most of the squad that don't want to be at the club with Marcus Rashford no nearer his dream move to Barcelona and Jadon Sancho pricing himself out of several moves, so far at least. Antony and Alejandro Garnacho might also have to return to training with their tails between their legs with concrete bids in short supply for the pair of wingers.

Is Bryan Mbeumo the answer for Man Utd?

United have signed Matheus Cunha, who could offer a maverick quality that only Bruno Fernandes can really match in terms of creativity, but all other recruitment seems on hold until the personal terms agreed with Bryan Mbeumo are matched with an agreement with Brentford. Considering it looked like a done deal as early as May, it is no wonder fans are questioning why it has taken so long to negotiate.

Mbeumo is a good player, but for over £60m, it feels excessive, especially with Amad Diallo looking like a long-term solution on the right-hand side. What would have been more useful is future proofing the midfield and adding creativity from a deeper position on the pitch.

Controversial as it might be, United could sign Harvey Elliott for £40m, save nearly £25m, get a player three years younger and strengthen the team with one of England's finest young talents. At any other club, United wouldn't think twice about picking up such a player.

Man Utd could emulate Chelsea move and catch rivals cold

The player clearly wants to move after Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz, however, they have been urged not to make the same mistake as United's City rivals: "If I'm Liverpool, I'm not selling him. Not one bit. I'm not selling him," ex-Man City man Micah Richards expressed on the latest instalment of The Rest is Football podcast.

"It reminds me of the Cole Palmer situation when he was at Manchester City. Okay, you've got Phil Foden, you've got Kevin De Bruyne at the time, you've got other young players coming through.

"I just think if you could get a good Premier League team on loan for the season, because we keep talking about Salah, Salah signed a two-year deal.

"A year from now, he [Salah] could be, I don't want to say winding down, but might not be the same player that we used to over the years. And he [Elliott] could play that position so well. I would just wait. I wouldn't get rid of him right now. Not a chance."

There is nothing harder than trying to sign a player who a club doesn't want to leave, Liverpool are more than happy for Elliott to depart. With so many positions needing to be upgraded, maybe United should turn the tables on Brentford and walk away. Brighton, Wolves and RB Leipzig have also been linked with the midfielder.