Paul Ince urges Manchester United to sign 'three or four players' in the summer

Manchester United have to splash the money on three or four players in the summer if they are to challenge Manchester City for the title next season, according to former Red Devils midfielder Paul Ince.

United have completed the signing of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal this January but Ince believes that are more holes in the squad which need to be addressed for United to be a real power horse.

Ince is not convinced by their full-backs and despite Luke Shaw's recent rise to favour under Mourinho, Ince believes that they should be in the lookout for Tottenham's Danny Rose next summer, whose signing would be a real show of intent for the Red Devils.

The Red Devils were interested in him last summer but the north London club refused to sell, having already sold Kyle Walker in the same period.

Ince also ran the rule over Antonio Valencia and believes that given his age, they should be looking at cover for him. Also given the talk surrounding the future of David de Gea, United would be well advised to keep their eye out for a goalkeeper should the Spaniard decide to leave.

Another striker to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic to take the pressure off Romelu Lukaku should also be on the agenda for next summer if United are to challenge for titles.

"Come summer I'm expecting around three or four more players to come to Old Trafford. There are still issues to address, and it's all Jose Mourinho forming his team," Ince told M.E.N.

"It sounds brutal, but that left-back area will surely be one of Jose's priorities. Matteo Darmian has been far from impressive, and I still don't believe Mourinho thinks Shaw is the answer.

"Danny Rose is a name that keeps popping up, with him not getting a game at Tottenham, and he would be fantastic at United. If I was Mourinho, I'd be looking to sign him.

"No United fan likes to accept it, but the chances are those chats from Real Madrid about David de Gea will start rearing their heads again. So, if you're Mourinho and you know they could be on the horizon, do you start looking out for a top-class goalkeeper?

"This one might shock people, but I reckon Mourinho will be on the lookout for another striker. A different kind of striker to Lukaku, more of a fox in the box. Obviously, it looks as though Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be on his way out, unfortunately, so he could do with having a backup option there. Someone who is lethal in front of goal is needed at the club, an out and out goal scorer."