Gary Lineker names major Man United problem Sir Jim Ratcliffe must fix like Sir Alex Ferguson did

Gary Lineker believes it is imperative that Sir Jim Ratcliffe ensures he gets recruitment right at Manchester United, suggesting that even Sir Alex Ferguson could not win the title with the current squad.

Ratcliffe sacked sporting director Dan Ashworth over the weekend, just five months after headhunting him for the role. The club paid around £3million in compensation to Newcastle United for his services this summer.

That surprise decision is one of a number of big calls Ratcliffe has made since his arrival. After axing 250 staff jobs earlier this year, he sanctioned a hike in matchday ticket prices to £66 with concessions scrapped until the end of the season.

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He is also set to stand Ferguson down from his ambassadorial role at the end of the current season. As for on the pitch, Lineker reckons not even the iconic manager himself could challenge for the Premier League title with their current crop of players and outlined the challenge Ratcliffe faces.

Touching on United's recruitment while speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Lineker - who is set to leave his role as Match of the Day host at the end of the season - said: "Whoever comes in, you've got to get that side of it [recruitment] right - whatever your budget.

"It's not always easy as you can never be sure of how players are going to perform at a club until he gets there." He later added: "It's all a bit of a mess at the moment."

Ashworth is thought to have been one of the men behind the decision to sack Erik ten Hag in October. It is being suggested new head coach Ruben Amorim was not on his initial shortlist of managerial options.

Amorim has won only two of his five matches - so far - having used a total of 22 different players and utilised the maximum number of substitutions in each match. Lineker highlighted that it is important that a manager has a say in transfer matters.

Lineker was posed the question of whether Ferguson could win the league with the current players. "Not with this current squad," he replied.

"Because, ultimately, it's about players and the players they bring in. It took Sir Alex time to get close to success at United, his first three seasons were really average. In the current climate he probably wouldn't have been given the time that he had back then.

"But then, he got the recruitment right, which I'm sure he was heavily involved in - and that's key. It's about players.

"Great managers can improve players and help get better results but great managers can'r turn average players into great players. You can't win things without really good players."