Manchester United's slow start to the season has prompted calls for more spending, but the club have tried and failed to solve their problems with investment in the past.
Pundit Steve Nicol has suggested only new players, rather than any changes in the dugout, can help a side which has brought in Erik ten Hag ahead of the 2022-23 season. While there have been additions in the form of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez, others have argued United are still no closer to pushing for a top four finish.
This is nothing new, though, and comments from former captain Gary Neville have resurfaced to illuminate the issue. Neville was quizzed on his old club back in 2014, just a year after they began the post-Alex Ferguson era, and it appears little has changed since.
Neville was speaking on Sky Sports after the opening weekend of the season, when United had been beaten by Swansea City in Louis van Gaal's first game as manager. United had already spent big on Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera before the start of the season, while only Paris Saint-German had a bigger net spend than United's £165m during the previous five windows.
"I think in the last five transfer windows they've spent some money [but] I think the previous ones to that there was perhaps underinvestment because Sir Alex was happy with the squad that he had," Neville said. "I like to go back and look at things, and I think if we're sat here 12 months ago... and you'd said to me 'champions of England, just beat Swansea away from home, they're going to spend £140m in these next 12 months and they'll be where they are today,' I'd say you're mad.
"Of course they need to spend, because they have to. They have to bring more players in, there's no doubt about that, but it's critical they bring the right players in."
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"They've spent £140m in these last 12 months and they've got [Wilfried] Zaha, Herrera, Shaw, [Marouane] Fellaini and [Juan] Mata," Neville continued. "Last season I'd argue that some of those buys were panic buys, they didn't fit the philosophy, and they're paying for it now.
"For that money, or for a bit more money, you could have got [Gareth] Bale, [Toni] Kroos, [Cesc] Fabregas, Filipe Luis. For the same level of money they've spent, you could have got those four players into that squad.
"Put those four players in 12 months ago and we probably would have been saying [United are] favourites for the league maybe, maybe Champions League. They've got to recruit better - they've got a manager now who won't panic buy, he won't breach his philosophy... the key is can they get the players that they want - he's not going to be spending the money for the sake of it, because last year he brought in two players who I don't believe suited what they wanted at the time, and that's the bigger problem."
Van Gaal continued to spend before the end of that window, with United breaking their transfer record for Angel Di Maria and also adding Daley Blind on a permanent deal and Radamel Falcao on loan. The following summer saw them spend more than £100m again, with the likes of Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin arriving and departing in a short space of time.
In the years since, more managers have arrived and spent big. However, the succession of signings haven't lifted United higher than second in the table, and they have only got beyond the last 16 of the Champions League once in that period.
Ten Hag's spending has been lower than in previous windows, though there is still time to add to the £50m+ spent on fees for Malacia and Martinez. The challenge now, as it was in 2014, is to get the right fits rather than simply spending for spending's sake.
