SINGAPORE - Manchester United are still "one of the biggest clubs in the world" and, thus, a Premier League title tilt cannot be written off next season.
But first, they must shore up their leaky defence, former club striker Dimitar Berbatov told The Straits Times on Friday (July 19) in an interview at a media engagement lunch arranged by the Singapore Sports Hub, which hosts the International Champions Cup (ICC) tournament this weekend.
The Red Devils will play Serie A side Inter Milan at the National Stadium on Saturday, while Tottenham will take on Italian champions Juventus on Sunday.
And the 38-year-old Bulgarian believes Leicester's Harry Maguire can bolster the United defence, which conceded 54 goals last season - the second highest among the top-10 teams in the English top flight.
The England defender is one of United's top transfer targets this summer, but Leicester are demanding more than £80 million (S$136.1 million) for the 26-year-old.
"They definitely need someone in defence. Harry Maguire's very good on the ball, very calm and intelligent," Berbatov, who won two league titles during his time at Old Trafford from 2008 to 2012, told ST.
While Berbatov hopes to see Lukaku at Old Trafford next season, he is not too worried about the Belgian's potential exit as he believes that Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial can step up.
"I hope Lukaku is staying because he's a good player and the criticism he's facing is not fair," he said.
"I am calm because I like Martial a lot. I used to play with him in Monaco a lot and I know that he is really good and that he can be even better. I like Rashford as well; he can develop and become even better."
Rashford notched 16 goals and eight assists while Martial had 12 goals and two assists last term.
Lukaku is not the only player linked with a move away as midfielder Paul Pogba has also reportedly drawn the attention of Real Madrid and former club Juventus.
Former academy player Pogba returned to United from Juve in 2016 for a club-record fee of £89.3 million (S$166.2 million), but has attracted criticism from fans and pundits for his antics off the pitch.
But the Bulgarian urged Solskjaer to keep the Frenchman and build the team around him.
He said: "I used to train with him when he was a young boy, he came with us to first-team training and Ole was his coach in the second team so he knows him very well.
"He knows how good he can be, that he is a good personality so he needs to give him the freedom to express himself on the pitch."
