"He wasn't £80-£90 million, serious questions" – Paul Merson blames Manchester United for failure to sign 22-year-old defender

Arsenal legend Paul Merson has questioned why Manchester United failed to rope in Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven.

The Red Devils, who have conceded 26 times in 15 games across all competitions this season, slumped to a 3-0 EFL Cup defeat to Newcastle United on Wednesday (November 1). Miguel Almiron, Lewis Hall and Joe Willock all netted a goal apiece in the last-16 encounter.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Soccer Special show, Merson commented on Manchester United's recent defensive showing at Old Trafford. He asserted that the Red Devils should have bought Van de Ven (h/t HITC):

"I would be asking questions if I owned the club. I would be sitting there now and I would be going to you as the manager: 'Why didn't we get the lad at Tottenham? He's Dutch. You are Dutch. You know the league, the players. Why is he at Tottenham and he isn't here? And we haven't got a centre-half now'."

Opining on Erik ten Hag's current centre-back options, Merson added:

"No disrespect to [Jonny] Evans, but you are playing a 30-odd-year-old next to [Harry] Maguire. [Raphael] Varane can't get fit. [Victor] Lindelof, I don't think is a real centre-half, if I am being honest."

Merson, who lifted two Premier League titles with Arsenal, concluded:

"Then you are looking at this player [Van de Ven], who is one of the best centre-halves in the league, at the moment. And he isn't playing for Manchester United. He wasn't £80-£90 million, serious questions."

Van de Ven, 22, secured a permanent move to Tottenham in a potential £43 million deal from VfL Wolfsburg earlier in August. He has started all 11 of his appearances for his new club, keeping four shutouts.

Manchester United eye move to sign £65 million-rated star Diogo Costa in the future

According to Fichajes.net, Manchester United are aiming to sign Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa despite adding Andre Onana to their ranks earlier this summer. They, however, could fail to launch a winter move to sign the 24-year-old due to Financial Fair Play (FFP) concerns.

Costa, who is allegedly valued at £65 million, has been on United's radar since the start of last season. He has registered 50 clean sheets in 122 matches for Porto so far, helping them lift seven trophies.

Onana, on the other hand, has received some flak for his error-prone outings since his potential £47 million move from Inter Milan in the summer. He has kept just four shutouts in 15 matches this season.