Owen Hargreaves believes Manchester United are only three signings away from challenging for the Premier League title next season.
United’s season ended in disappointment on Wednesday evening after they lost on penalties to Villarreal in the Europa League final.
The result has left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still searching for his first trophy as United manager, while his side also finished 12 points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
But Hargreaves believes United will be able to close the gap this summer if they land a new centre-back, a central midfielder and a right winger.
‘If they would’ve won [the Europa League] that might have papered over the cracks and maybe you don’t go out and get [a new signing],’ Hargreaves told BT Sport.
‘Where as now Ole might say, ‘we need three or four’. And you watch that game [the final] anybody will say it needs someone to come and make a difference.
‘We’ve been doing this for five or six years with United, and they’ve been a long way off at times.
‘I actually think they are three players off, I think all they need is a centre-back, a central midfielder and a right winger. For me that’s all they need.
‘That, okay, it costs you a few quid but the fact of the matter is when you know exactly what you need it’s easier to go out and get it.
‘Whoever it’s going to be, I think if they can do that this summer, whether it’s Sancho, Varane, Marquinhos or Declan Rice, there’s targets there that you can look who can make that United team better.
‘There are a lot of really good building blocks in my opinion.
‘They are closer than they have been in a long time but they just need that backing to take the final step.’
Rio Ferdinand added: ‘It needs to be the right people, the right chaarcters and good enough people who can add value to this team.
‘For instance, we all talk about [Virgil] Van Dijk being the catalyst for Liverpool, what had he won in England before [he joined Liverpool], he was at Southampton, they weren’t fighting for titles or in Europe.
‘It’s the right character, the right people that fit your team, the right profile to then take you on and make other people better.
‘It’s not about coming in and being a good player necessarily, where do you add value elsewhere, do you make other players better?’
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