Manchester United’s recruitment strategy has been branded “utterly stupid” by Athletic journalist Adam Crafton after the club’s latest defensive collapse against Brighton.
Michael Carrick’s side surrendered a two-goal lead in Wednesday’s 3-2 Carabao Cup defeat at Old Trafford, their third loss in six matches this season. The result has intensified scrutiny of both the manager and the squad assembled under INEOS.
United’s approach has been to rebuild the team in stages, focusing on different areas of the pitch across successive transfer windows. That plan is now being questioned after another performance exposed weaknesses at the back.
Adam Crafton questions Manchester United recruitment strategy
Crafton criticised the club’s policy in a post on X following the Brighton defeat.
“I have never seen a team be constructed block by block from the front to the back in the way Man Utd have attempted to do and it appears utterly stupid and predictably so,” he wrote.
United concentrated on their attack in 2025, signing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. The focus then switched to midfield this summer, with Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba arriving in deals worth around £148 million combined.
The club’s wider plan reportedly envisages defence becoming the priority in summer 2027, when several new defenders could be brought in as the final phase of the rebuild.
That sequencing has left United with significant questions at full-back and centre-back while substantial funds have been committed elsewhere. The side’s ability to protect a 2-0 advantage against Brighton offered a stark illustration of the imbalance.
United became the first side in 50 years to lose at Old Trafford after taking a two-goal lead. While Carrick will face criticism for the result, the recruitment strategy has also come under the spotlight because it determines the options available to him.
There is a clear rationale for INEOS pursuing a long-term plan rather than responding to every poor result with another overhaul. However, the latest defeat has reinforced concerns that a squad cannot be rebuilt effectively by addressing one department at a time.
United may ultimately feel the strategy has delivered a stronger team once the defensive work is completed. For now, though, the unresolved problems at the back are making the club’s phased approach increasingly difficult to defend.
