Manchester United’s transfer window spending spree can help restore their attacking flair and spark a renewed challenge for a Champions League spot, according to their former England player Paul Scholes.
United, winners of a record 20 English League titles, including 13 since the Premier League was launched in the 1992/93 season, finished seventh last season and failed to qualify for European competition.
They are without a competitive win in four games under new Dutch manager Louis van Gaal this season.
Scholes believes the club’s outlay of over £150 million (Dh888.2m) on six internationals, including Argentina winger Angel di Maria and on-loan Colombia striker Radamel Falcao, will see United back in Europe again.
“The calibre of player we have brought in is top quality, like Di Maria and Falcao,” Scholes told MUTV.
“These are proper players. We just have to find a way of getting them all in the same team, playing well and scoring goals – which we have struggled to do a little bit.
“Defensively, we haven’t been great either so he (Van Gaal) needs to sort that out. Then, I’m sure we can be vying for Champions League places.
“Fans have been moaning about the type of players that were at the club and now you can’t do that.
“Ed Woodward (executive director) has done his job brilliantly during this transfer window with some great signings. Now it is over to the manager to sort everything out and make us a good team again.”
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Star rating: 2/5
Match info
What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)