Man United committed a ‘mistake’ by paying £60 million to get Mason Mount from Chelsea in the final year of his contract.

That is the opinion of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that United overpaid for almost £300 million in players.

Mount joined the Manchester giants for £60 million this summer, but the 24-year-old has made just 12 appearances and played just over 600 minutes since the move.

Mount was in the final year of his Chelsea contract when he moved to Old Trafford, which means United could have started negotiations about a free transfer in January if they had waited.

Erik ten Hag has spent almost £400 million on new players since taking over as United manager in 2022, but the Red Devils have battled for form this season, dropping to eighth place.

Maguire blames United’s recruitment personnel for making several mistakes despite having the greatest net expenditure in the Premier League over the last decade.

“Looking back on the £60million deal to sign Mason Mount after a modest season at Chelsea, it was an error by Manchester United’s recruitment team,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen these mistakes at Manchester United; they have many players who have become peripheral rather than guaranteed first-team options, such as Jadon Sancho, Antony and Rasmus Hojlund.”

“There are around £300 million worth of players who United fans will say are good but not worth their money.”

“Making the occasional mistake in player recruitment is to be expected because no one can guarantee success, but United have had the highest net spend in the Premier League over the last decade.”

“Not only are United overpaying for players, but they are also overpaying them in terms of wages.”

“This then means it’s more difficult to move these players on when things don’t work out.”