A report has revealed that Manchester United players wanted the Red Devils to bring in a new striker before the transfer deadline.

Manchester United concentrated on strengthening their midfield during the summer transfer window, with Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos joining from Brighton, Aston Villa and Chelsea respectively.

Even so, deadline day turned out to be surprisingly quiet, with Manchester United supporters hoping INEOS would deliver at least one fresh signing on the final day.

There had been suggestions that a new left-back could arrive on deadline day, while a striker was also under consideration if Joshua Zirkzee completed a move away.

Neither move materialised, and now Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic has revealed that Manchester United players felt the Red Devils “needed” another striker through the door before the deadline.

Whitwell wrote: “Another deal that appeared close but fell through was Everton’s loan bid for Joshua Zirkzee, amid uncertainty over Folarin Balogun’s move from Monaco. Everton first made contact with United at 5pm and made an offer at 8pm.

“United were open to Zirkzee leaving — he has been pushing to go to play — but decided it was too late to source a replacement. United sources suggested the proposal was worth less than the reported £10m including loan fee and wages.

“Some players felt a new centre-forward to share the load with Benjamin Sesko was needed, allowing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo to remain more often in their best positions.”

Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes the Red Devils have left themselves short, with the former defender concerned about what could happen if Luke Shaw or Harry Maguire suffers an injury at some stage this season.

Neville said on Sky Sports: “I do feel that when you go into the Champions League, and you’ve got an uncertain defence in the sense that a couple of them are injury-prone and they’re likely to get injured… [it’s a worry].

“For the top clubs that are playing in the Champions League, you’ve got to imagine: what happens if Luke Shaw gets injured? That’s going to cause a real problem.

“What happens if Harry Maguire gets injured? You’ve got a real problem. So I always imagine: just take your two most dominant defenders out for two months simultaneously, which can happen, and you’re playing Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, you’re going to concede goals, and you’re going to lose football matches.”