Manchester United apparently signed a world class player last week, but most of us aren’t so sure.

I don’t think any fan is thinking, ‘Wow. Mason Mount‘s the player that’s going to take us to the next level’ – but it’s a start after a difficult summer so far.

I’ll admit, I was shocked when we got linked to Mount in the back end of May, because I just didn’t think that anybody who watched Man United last season would go, ‘yeah, our priority signing is an upgrade on Christian Eriksen’.

For me, we need a goalkeeper, striker, holding midfielder and another centre-back. For Erik ten Hag, I think his ideal signings would have been Harry Kane, Adrien Rabiot, Kim Min-jae and Mount.

But that’s the situation with the Glazers still in charge. They’re ultimately greedy and still haven’t made their mind up over what to do with the club.

If you go back to January, even Ten Hag himself was talking about the excitement of new ownership and major investment.

So far, we’ve ended up having a typical Glazer summer, which is a bit like a handbrake summer really. But, in spite of the owners, I’ve got trust in Ten Hag and we can still have a positive window with him at the helm.

The no.7 shirt debate

I would have given it to Alejandro Garnacho over Mount, but both are a risk.

It’s pressure on both of them. I’d just be more comfortable giving it to a through and through United player, who is a flair player as well.

Some people would say it’s a bit too much too soon, but I think sometimes there are players that just fit that shirt, and Garnacho is one of them.

I have heard some people saying, ‘it’s just a shirt’. And my reply is, well, you’re clearly not Manchester United fans because the number seven shirt is never just a shirt. It’s iconic and we should never dismiss that.

The thing with Mount is that I still feel he is a Chelsea legend or Chelsea great. It’d be like giving Robin van Persie the number seven when he came from Arsenal.

It’s just a little bit too much too soon. But again, it’s a Ten Hag signing – he apparently offered the number seven. I’ll back the manager on it, but I wouldn’t have done it myself.

The next two signings should excite United fans

I’ve always felt David de Dea‘s treatment from the media over the last few years has been awful, and I don’t really get why he’s been targeted so much.

He won the Golden Glove last year, which means he got more clean sheets than anyone. We conceded less than 10 goals in 18 Premier League home games last season. So the goalkeeper has to have some part in that.

But it’s not just the media, I think the treatment of De Gea was bang out of order from the club. When you’ve got a player that’s been a fantastic servant, he’s won all those accolades, Players’ Player of the Year awards, to put a contract on the table and then remove it is disrespectful.

I don’t care whether that’s De Gea, Harry Maguire or whoever, it’s not a great way to treat your players. And we’ve done it before with Van Persie and Ander Herrera so that leaves a bit of a bad taste in the mouth.

But De Gea has gone now and it’s a new era for the club. It looks like Andre Onana is going to replace the Spaniard and he is a fantastic goalkeeper. It wouldn’t have been right to keep De Gea as a back-up so, while his exit was not handled well, bringing in Onana as the new number 1 could prove to be an inspired move for United in the long run.

People don’t realise the enormity of being Manchester United’s no.1. Onana is a brilliant keeper, one of the best ball playing goalkeepers in the world, and I think he’s also got the personality to make it.

We all saw it in the Champions League final against City. You’re playing against the best team in the world, one of the best pressers in the world in a Champions League final – with an underdog – and he is taking his time and threading passes 40 yards through the middle of the pitch through about four Man City players.

If ever there’s a player who fits the mould of a modern game goalkeeper, it’s him. I’m old enough to remember that when we replaced Peter Schmeichel, it took years. We had Fabien Barthez, Mark Bosnich and a few others and they just couldn’t be a Manchester United goalkeeper. Onana can.

United simply must get a quality striker this summer too. Goals win games and United need a goalscorer. Anthony Martial was always injured last season. Wout Weghorst, of course, just wasn’t good enough. And even if you think Marcus Rashford is good enough, you can’t just have one striker.

With Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen out of the running due to their price tags, Rasmus Hojlund looks like the most likely signing, and I’m excited by that despite his lack of experience.

There’s confusing arrogance in some of the reporting around Hojland and in the fan base because it is like he’s unproven at this level he’s too much of a risk. And yet that’s what’s produced some of Manchester United’s greatest ever players.

Manchester United have always had this attachment to youth since the 1930s, we’ve had the Busby Babes, the class of 92. It’s what Manchester United is all about.

We’ve been criticised for buying the finished article, spending a lot of money on players like Angel Di Maria or Paul Pogba, and Hojlund actually represents something that we did with Cristiano Ronaldo all those years ago.

You buy a talent who’s not quite there yet, so you don’t pay as much. And we’ve got a manager renowned for being a developmental one. So, all this ‘Oh, he is not Premier League proven, he is too much of a risk’ – I think that’s exactly what United do need to do, especially when you look at the make-up of the squad.

There’s a lot of experience in there already with Casimiro and Raphael Varane. Mount’s quite experienced for his years, Rashford is quite experienced.

The team has a place for someone like Hojlund and Ten Hag really likes him. He wants to come to United, so a deal could be done at a reasonable price. He could be symbolic of what United needs to get back to doing, which is buying players before they’re great and having a big part in their development.

Arsenal are impressing, but more was expected from Newcastle

When it comes to our rivals, Arsenal have had a really strong summer with deals for Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber agreed, and I don’t think it’s over. They had a fantastic last season and you’ve got to remember Leandro Trossard and Jorginho came in January as well.

I looked at Arsenal at the start of last season and I thought they’re a good team, the next stage is the bench, and the bench will be a lot stronger this season.

I think the bookies will end up having Arsenal as second favourites for the title, but Liverpool should be back in the mix too.

The two signings they’ve made – Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai – do improve their midfield and Liverpool have always got the capability of having a bad season, then suddenly be fighting with Manchester City again.

Chelsea really haven’t made the steps I think they’re going to make yet, and it’s similar with Newcastle. I expected a little bit more than just Sandro Tonali after they got Champions League football. So I don’t think United are out of the top four race, or are in major problems at the moment.

I’d still put us in the top four, but the next few weeks of the transfer window will be really interesting because I don’t think United are anywhere near challenging Manchester City.

I would put United behind City, Arsenal and Liverpool and ahead of Newcastle. Simply because we finished ahead of Newcastle last year and they’ve got the Champions League.

But if Newcastle went and bought two really good players and United continued down their trajectory. I’d probably push United down to fifth.

Let’s see if I’m feeling more confident after the transfer window closes…