Man Utd legend names perfect Baleba follow-up signing but admits FFP concerns | OneFootball

Manchester United legend Bryan Robson is urging his old club to pursue a deal for Newcastle and England defender Lewis Hall before the summer transfer window closes, having snapped up Carlos Baleba this week.

Baleba was unveiled as United’s fourth signing of the window on August 25, joining for a guaranteed £65million from Premier League rivals Brighton.

The 22-year-old adds stronger competition in the Man Utd midfield following the captures of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans earlier in the window.

Despite a fairly productive window, Michael Carrick’s side attracted plenty of negative press after the shock 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Hull City on Saturday.

Veteran full-back Luke Shaw was one of a number of Red Devils stars who under-performed, with the England man at fault for Hull’s second goal.

The 31-year-old remains the club’s only senior left-back ahead of a return to the Premier League, which is a major concern given his fitness struggles across his time at Old Trafford.

United have been chasing Hall across the summer, with the player himself keen on the move, while they also have Alejandro Balde and Jorge Salinas on their radar.

However, Robson wants to see his old club prioritise a move for the Newcastle left-back, who is believed to be valued in and around £60m.

“If you stay in the Cup competitions and you’ve got the Champions League, you’ve got a lot of games in the season, and so you more or less always have to have two players who are decent in the same position,” he told talkSPORT.

“Luke Shaw is a terrific player, but Hall would be a good addition to our squad.

“But you never know with his [financial] fair play and everything whether you’ve got the money to buy somebody like him when you’ve just spent £70 million [on Baleba].

“We’ve spent money before that, so it’s a balancing act in where you think it’s most important.”

Robson makes Premier League predictions

Meanwhile, Robson is confident that United will be back in contention for a top-four finish again this term, although Arsenal remain the frontrunners for back-to-back title success.

He added: “I think we’re not far off [Man City]. Especially with them losing the manager, yeah, they’ve brought a few decent players, but they’ve weakened the squad as well with some of their top players having left this summer.

“So I can see the top four being more or less the same as last year.

“Arsenal are looking really strong, made some great signings in the summer to go with what they’ve got. Arsenal are going to be the ones to beat.

“I think then City will be in there, Liverpool, ourselves, but Chelsea got off to a great start as well, and it’s a fantastic signing, Rogers.

“I’m gobsmacked that they got him because I think he’s a terrific player.”