Man Utd duo Scott McTominay and Fred expose £4.5m Brighton transfer calamity

Scott McTominay and Fred were handed a rude awakening on their return to Premier League action and there was one sole individual responsible. He is hardly an imposing figure but the diminutive Moises Caicedo, who only made his mark on English soil in the latter stages of last season, was a force to be reckoned with in the middle of the park.

The Ecuadorian international bossed proceedings and was the best player on the pitch for the opening 45 minutes as Brighton put Manchester United to the sword.

He was nipping in to snatch every loose ball while running rings around the helpless United midfielder, who could only watch on in awe.

McTominay even left a nasty challenge on Caicedo out of spite, one that on another day could have easily seen red.

Fred was hooked in the second half as United looked to inspire a comeback but in all honesty, Erik ten Hag did the Brazilian a favour. He was ruthlessly exposed by his South American counterpart.

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Brighton do things differently. They have just lost one of their most-prized assets in Marc Cucurella, yet you would not have even noticed.

This is a team with a clear structure and tactical plan – masterminded by Graham Potter – that was executed to perfection at Old Trafford.

Caicedo was the beating heartbeat that made it all possible, his mouthwatering display showed United exactly what they’re missing.

But United do not have the nous to cherrypick these kind of gems. Instead, they will spend the best part of 12 weeks trying to sign a player in Frenkie de Jong that doesn’t even want to join them.

Ten Hag’s squad is seemingly no better than the mess he inherited from Ralf Rangnick – despite the arrivals of Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia.

United need a lot more, most notably in midfield where McTominay and Fred are simply not good enough.

That line of thinking has been the case for well over a year now, yet still United continue to persist with the industrious midfield pairing.

It was the same story in May when Caicedo scored and ran the pair ragged in Brighton’s 4-0 demolition of the Red Devils at the Amex.

Since then, there has been no evident improvement and having also lost Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, it could even be argued that United’s midfield options have been weakened.

They will need a lot more in that department in order to mount a serious top-four challenge. There is is still three weeks left in the transfer market and United’s midfield is an issue that needs addressing.