'We have to invest' - Man Utd chief opens up on transfer plans but sends 'right players' warning ahead of January window

In a recent interview published on the club website, United chief Wilcox expressed some of the biggest aims for himself, head coach Ruben Amorim and those inside the club as the Red Devils seek to take their recent improvement to another level. He cited Premier League and Champions League titles as long-term goals which suggest the 20-time top-flight champions retain the ambitions to reattain their former glory.

In the short-term investment is key, said Wilcox, but he stressed that the club must bring in the right players who can contribute to higher standards and push the club in the right direction with the right character and mentality required for a high-pressure environment like Old Trafford.

Wilcox said: “We have got a clear plan. We know what we have got to do, we know the areas of the team that we have got to improve. For us to get in the top four and consistently challenge for Champions League places, win Champions Leagues, win Premier Leagues, we have got to invest in the squad. We have got to buy the right players. The right players who are talented but also who can deal with the pressure, who can take the squad forward.

“It is not always about just signing elite talent, they have got to have the right character and be somebody who can bring something different to the team.

“We are really happy with where we are, we know we have got to improve and, you know, the players, they will never be satisfied, Ruben [Amorim] will never be happy, I will never be happy, it is just how we are built. We are always looking to improve. Anybody who works at Manchester United should be thinking the same and they do, with the standards we are driving every day.”

“The guys have settled in really, really quickly," continued Wilcox. "I think especially when you look at Matheus [Cunha] and Bryan [Mbeumo], they have played in the Premier League and they have lived in England, so there is a quicker transition. I think for Benji [Benjamin Sesko] and Senne [Lammens], you look at their transition and they have transitioned really well. We are really pleased. They are two young players, two for the future, but they have settled in amazingly well.

“They are all good guys, even from last summer's window, they are top professionals, top players and we are really optimistic we are going in the right direction. We have a clear plan. I am sure there are going to be bumps in the road, but we have just got to make sure we stay calm irrespective of the noise outside.”

United must not let their foot off the gas in the coming weeks if they are to convince the world that they have truly turned things around.

A tricky visit to Nottingham Forest on Saturday for Sean Dyche’s first home Premier League match as boss will indicate a little better where the Red Devils are, as many recent United sides may have crumbled under the pressure exerted by an opponent with a point to prove.

“We have just got to keep this going now,” said Wilcox. “Not get too carried away when we win and not get too disappointed when we lose. We know we are making progress. It will be another tough game at the weekend. Ruben and the guys will be fully prepared, we know what we are going to get at Nottingham Forest, a new manager, they have got a good playing squad, we saw that last year, and it is going to be a really difficult game for us.”

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