Right Said Fred: Talking betting With BetFred Boss Fred Done

Time is rapidly running out for Manchester United to make some signings before their Premier League season begins on September 12.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done a brilliant job so far in turning things around at Old Trafford, getting rid of the deadwood and bringing in quality young players that fit his vision, but that MUST continue if we are to have any chance of bridging the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool next season.

So, I’m understandably concerned that things have gone eerily quiet on the transfer front.

Just a matter of weeks ago, it looked a certainty that we would be signing former Manchester City academy star Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, but that looks more and more doubtful by the day, with reports suggesting the United board are unwilling to match the German club’s fee.

My opinion is this – get the cheque book out and pay up!

The reported fee of over £100million is of course a lot of money, but that is what it takes in the modern game to keep up with the pace.

Alternatively, I’ve seen us linked with Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman which would be a great signing – although, after his match-winner in the Champions League Final last weekend, his stock has undoubtedly now shot up.

I also think, as the Europa League semi-final defeat to Sevilla showed, we need to sign a centre-back and maybe a midfielder like Jack Grealish from Aston Villa or Leicester’s James Maddison.

Just the other day it was confirmed by his agent that Paul Pogba will not be sold by Manchester United, and that he is part of a ‘long-term project’ at the club. That’s great news, but I think I speak for a majority of Reds when I say that will not be enough if we don’t sign any new players.

I’ve been reading that Bayern midfielder Thiago will be let go for around £30m – a fee that Liverpool, who have been linked with the Spaniard for months now, are reportedly unwilling to pay.

If I were pulling the strings at Old Trafford, I would be flying straight over to Germany and giving them what they want, for he is one of the best midfielders in the world right now, and is quite frankly a steal for just £30m.

The bottom line is, we need to sign some players before the beginning of the new season, which unofficially gets underway on Saturday, when Premier League champions Liverpool take on FA Cup holders Arsenal in the Community Shield.

Betfred have Liverpool 8/13 favourites to win the Shield – while Arsenal are 4/1.

I can’t see anything but Liverpool continuing exactly where they left off and picking up another piece of silverware before they prepare to defend their long-awaited Premier League crown.

As for the outright Premier League picture, Manchester City are favourites at EVS to win back the title, while Liverpool are 13/8 to make a successful defence.

United are 9/1 and Chelsea 11/1 – which could be a great price given they’re reportedly set to make a trio of signings and become the big spenders of this transfer window.