It's fair to say that Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim isn't beating around the bush about the current situation the club find themselves in. Sunday's 3-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion means the Red Devils stay in the Premier League bottom half.

"In 10 games in the Premier League, we won two," he said. "We are being the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know that you want headlines, but I'm saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that. Here you go, your headlines."

United registered just one shot on target against the Seagulls and it came through Bruno Fernandes' penalty. Before their opponents had defeated Ipswich Town on Thursday night, Brighton had not won a game of Premier League football for eight games.

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It was an afternoon to forget for everyone associated with United. Andre Onana endured another disastrous performance but the players in front of him were substandard. For a club that was once unbeatable at the Theatre of Dreams, United have been embarrassed in their own back yard too many times. Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Brighton have all won on the red side of Manchester.

The loss to Brighton wasn't a surprise. United have lost three straight games against the Seagulls at Old Trafford and have been outclassed in each of those games. Before that, United had won each of the previous nine home meetings. So what has changed?

One of the biggest differences between the two football teams comes down to recruitment. Brighton's XI consisted of players they have recruited in recent years, many of them more than good enough to get into Amorim's strongest 11.

Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, 22, cost £16.3m, while defensive duo Jan Paul van Hecke and Pervis Estupinan were carefully snapped up from Europe. Carlos Baleba, who cost £23.2m, is already being eyed up by bigger clubs, and Kaoru Mitoma has been consistent since moving to England.

Yasin Ayari and Yankuba Minteh are two fairly recent investments, but both enjoyed hurting United on Sunday. Joao Pedro's arrival from Watford has elevated their attack, and Danny Welbeck's level of performances at 34 is nothing short of spectacular. Some would argue he would even improve United's attack.

Even looking off the bench, Fabian Hurzeler had options. Georginio Rutter scored; Solly March has been a reliable figure throughout the years, and Julio Enciso, at 20, has already appeared 57 times for the club.

At United, it's a contrast with a squad valued at €794m (£671.8m). Onana will receive heavy criticism, not for the first time, for his performance while the back three of Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, which cost a combined £179m, are part of a defence that haven't kept a clean sheet in 12 games.

Summer signings Noussair Mazraoui, Manuel Ugarte and Joshua Zirkzee all struggled while Alejandro Garnacho was uninspiring, and Rasmus Hojlund (£72m) and Antony (£81.3m) remained on the bench.

Of course, it's much easier to impress and shine at Brighton with less pressure and fewer eyes on you. But United's performance on Sunday was a toast to the poor flow in recruitment over the years.

Many will agree with Amorim that this United team is the worst team in the club's history, but the numbers attached to this group of players means most of the blame is placed on recruitment and transfers. If Amorim and United are going to be successful, something has to change.