Former Premier League manager Neil Warnock believes Manchester United should have looked to sign Ezri Konsa before his £55million move to Arsenal.

Konsa has enjoyed a brilliant start to his Gunners career following a big-money move from Aston Villa over the summer.

The 29-year-old came straight into Mikel Arteta’s team due to William Saliba’s injury lay-off and has helped Arsenal win eight of their first nine Premier League matches so far this season.

Conversely, it has been a miserable start to the season for United, who have not tasted victory in the league since a 5-2 win over Ipswich Town in late August.

That start has seen United’s recruitment strategy placed under the microscope, most notably their failure to address a glaring lack of depth in defence in the summer transfer window.

And Warnock cited Konsa’s move to Arsenal as one deal that United should have looked to pursue instead of their all-out focus on signing midfielders.

‘They spend money on forwards, they spend money on midfield players like you’ve never seen and yet they still haven’t got a defence,’ Warnock told The Mirror.

‘I don’t understand how a top club like that can’t buy defenders – and they’ve never had any full backs that can defend either.

‘They could have bought Konsa this year. Why didn’t they spend money like that? They’d rather spent £100million on a midfielder – even though the defenders can’t defend!’

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Warnock continued: ‘If nothing changes, they are going to struggle. I’m not bothered who comes in. They will struggle.

‘You look at Brighton and Bournemouth and clubs like that, and you think that’s a good [recruitment strategy]… But when you look at Man United, if the recruitment can’t see that what I’ve seen for the last five years, there’s something wrong somewhere.’

Speaking recently, Rio Ferdinand echoed Warnock’s sentiments, insisting he would have loved Konsa to have made the move to Old Trafford this summer.

‘He’s a top, top player and another one I thought Manchester United should have got because he’s a top player,’ Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

‘He’s giving Mikel Arteta some big decisions to make and big headaches because he’s slipped in seamlessly and put in some big performances.

‘What a signing he’s been for Arsenal.’