"He would have knitted their midfield together" - Carlton Palmer says Manchester United should have signed Premier League star instead of Jadon Sancho

Former England midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Manchester United they should have signed Declan Rice instead of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund.

The Premier League giants spent £73 million to get Jadon Sancho from German club Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 2021-22 season. The 21-year-old winger played for four seasons at Dortmund, where he played 104 games and scored 38 goals.

Sancho has had an eventful time at Old Trafford since his arrival in the summer. Under former Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Sancho mostly started on the bench and has failed to show what he is capable of.

However, he has been a regular starter under new manager Ralf Rangnick. He scored his first Premier League goal in the much-important clash against then table leaders Chelsea. Sancho seems to be a priority under the new system as Rangnick tries to inculcate a game of high intensity pressing against his opponents. He requires young blood to do the heavy lifting.

However, Declan Rice has been hotly linked with a possible move to Old Trafford as the Red Devils look to sort out their midfield woes. Rice fits the defensive midfielder role currently vacant in the Manchester United squad.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Carlton Palmer said:

“If I were Manchester United, I'm not saying I wouldn't have taken Sancho but Rice is the one that I would have got. He would have knitted their midfield together and that's the type of player that Manchester United need."

Declan Rice is among the the target list of most of the big clubs in Europe. It would not be easy for Manchester United to bring him to Old Trafford by the end of the current season. Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea are reported to go all out for the West Ham player in the upcoming transfer window.

The 22-year-old defensive midfielder has played for West Ham United since 2015. He as featured in 148 games for the Premier League club and scored six goals. He has been rated heavily by football pundits, which puts him on the radar of scouting teams from major clubs across Europe.

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Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick is impressed with young talent Jadon Sancho

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick has said that is impressed with youngster Jadon Sancho and admires him a lot. Rangnick said he has been following Sancho since his days at Leipzig as manager and even met Sancho and his family.

Praising the England international, Ralf Rangnick said:

"His development in the last three years has been amazing. He’s one of the best wing offensive players in Europe currently. If you look at his statistics last season in the Bundesliga he had 18 goals and 18 assists."

He added:

“As a winger player, those statistics are phenomenal and currently in Europe I don’t see any other player with his combination of pace, being dangerous in front of goal and ability to get assists. He’s one of the biggest talents in Europe.”