Man Utd told they're "miles away from being an attractive prospect" amid transfer setback
Glen Johnson says Manchester United have a lot to do in order to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City and insists Erik ten Hag has a major job on his hands to turn their fortunes around
Former Liverpool and Chelsea defender Glen Johnson says Manchester United are "miles away" from being an attractive prospect to players despite landing one of Europe's hottest managers in Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman has been busy in the transfer market so far, bringing in Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez and Christian Eriksen, but Johnson still thinks the Red Devils have a way to go before they can bridge the gap between themselves and the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.
Speaking exclusively to Genting, the 37-year-old said: "At the moment, 100% [Liverpool are a more attractive club than Manchester United]. It's a no brainer.
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"There was a period where players would want to go to United but those days are gone.
"United are miles away from being an attractive prospect and are miles behind Liverpool," Johnson added.
Ten Hag's number one transfer target all summer has been Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong - his former protégé at Ajax - though despite managing to agree a fee for the 25-year-old, De Jong turned United down. In a way, proving Johnson's point.
How many teams in the Premier League are a more attractive prospect than Man United right now? Let us know what you reckon in the comments section below.
As much as new signings would benefit his team, Johnson insists Ten Hag's priority needs to be changing the culture at Old Trafford.
"It's not about signing people, as [United] have already been signing people for a lot of money who are apparently at the top of their game, but it's just not working," he said.
"They don’t play as a team and if I asked you what style of play they have, I don’t think you can answer it. They just seem to pick 11 players and that’s nowhere near good enough if you are trying to close the gap."
Johnson made over 400 appearances in the Premier League across spells with West Ham, Chelsea, Portsmouth, Liverpool and Stoke, before retiring in 2018. He also wracked up over 50 caps for England, turning out for the Three Lions at three major tournaments.
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