Premier League rivals are questioning the spending power of Manchester United. The Telegraph says having spent almost £50 million on Phil Jones, David de Gea and Ashley Young last year, United are unlikely to invest a similarly high figure during this close season.

One senior figure at a leading Premier League club claimed privately last week that United had earned the condescending tag of 'nomoney.com' within boardrooms because of their reluctance, or inability, to compete at the top end of the transfer market in recent seasons.

United were outbid by Manchester City for former Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri last summer and are facing a similar fate 12 months on in the battle for Lille ace Eden Hazard.