Roy Keane savages Sir Jim Ratcliffe over Man Utd's next two transfers

Roy Keane made his thoughts clear on Manchester United's transfer plans by blasting Sir Jim Ratcliffe over his decision to get rid of staff meals. It's been an expensive summer for the Premier League side who've spent over £210million following what was one of the worst seasons in the club's modern history.

Bringing in the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and most recently Benjamin Sesko, Ruben Amorim has transformed his attacking line-up through heavy spending. Despite the overhaul at the top end of the pitch, the Red Devils still possess issues in defence and midfield, especially the latter, with no signings having been made to improve the engine room.

United are interested in signing Brighton's Carlos Baleba, who is reportedly valued at £100million by the Seagulls, who want to recoup a nine-figure fee to part ways with the talented 21-year-old.

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The Red Devils have also been linked with a move for PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who announced his acrimonious exit from the French champions on Wednesday after being shunned by Luis Enrique. Donnarumma could well join City instead but United have also been linked with other big-money moves, including for Emiliano Martinez and Adam Wharton.

The two potential incomings were discussed on the return of , as Keane took aim at United's possible further expenditure. "If United were to get him [Donnarumma] and there's talk of Baleba from Brighton which I can't believe," Gary Neville began saying.

After the Irishman asked how United would get the money to pay for Donnarumma and Baleba, Jamie Carragher piped in and said: "I thought they were going bankrupt. They were months away from going bust weren't they?"

The Liverpool legend referencedRatcliffe's claim earlier this year, where he said the club would have run out of money by Christmas this year if he hadn't introduced several rounds of redundancies and cut back on staff meals to save money.

"Manchester United would have run out of cash by the end of this year - by the end of 2025 - after having me put £232.72m ($300m) in and if we buy no new players in the summer, he told the BBC. "We are in the process of change and it's an uncomfortable period and disruptive and I do feel sympathy with the fans.

"The simple answer is the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don't do those things." In jest, Keane responded with: "Are the staff gonna get their sandwiches back?" It was in February that it was announced that free lunches for staff at Old Trafford and Carrington were removed, as well as the closure of the staff canteen at the stadium.

While Keane said United's struggling midfield will receive some respite due to the ability of the new attackers to be on the front foot, it remains an issue for Amorim. The ex-United skipper said: "There's slightly less pressure on their midfield, don't get me wrong, but that will be the problem that'll still hold them back over the next year or two unless they bring in players.

"But they have to start somewhere. They weren't going to bring seven or eight players." When asked by Neville whether he believes they could pull off a move for Baleba, Keane said there's one main reason a deal won't be done.

"I'd be surprised if it happens," he said. "I still think he's got to do a bit more. It's still potential. You can't pay £100m for a player that you don't know where it's going to go." Amorim's new-look United attack will face an immediate acid test as the Red Devils' campaign commences on Sunday when they host Arsenal.

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