Manchester United find themselves in the same position as Liverpool once did, says John Barnes, with the Red Devils needing ‘four world-class players’ but unable to bring them in due to regression endured on the field.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to be busy in the next transfer window, with value having been found in recent dealings by those at Old Trafford.

United, though, remain a work in progress and aware of the need to land the likes of Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho – amid much talk of big-money offers being in the pipeline.

Barnes, though, believes the 13-time Premier League champions will find it difficult to entice the very best talent onto their books.

The Liverpool legend once saw his former employers at Anfield experience struggles in the recruitment market, with questionable business and poor performances leaving them off the pace.

United are now experiencing those struggles, as they battle to force their way back into the Champions League, and it may be that they are left disappointed when trying to chase down top targets.

Ex-England international Barnes told BonusCodeBets: ‘With United, it is not about the number of players that they need to purchase, it is more about the quality of the players that they can bring in.

‘For example, 10 years ago, Liverpool signed a load of players, but none of them made the Liverpool side any stronger, and they weren’t good purchases for the long-term future of the club.

‘Clubs will now resist the urge to just make signings just because they want to make signings, as in the long run, they won’t improve the team.

‘At the current stage that United are in, they aren’t in the position to make the quality of signings they want, because those players won’t want to go there.

‘They need to focus more on the players that they currently have and work on improving them.

‘They have some good players, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, but they need to make sure the harmony within the club and the team are right.

‘I can say that United need to sign four world-class players, but they won’t get that, not with the club in its current position.

‘They need the harmony to align within the team which it hasn’t yet, this is what happened at Liverpool.’

Liverpool have shown that a reversal in fortune can be brought about, with shrewd dealings from Jurgen Klopp allowing the Reds to become Champions League winners and Premier League title hopefuls.