Manchester United recruitment staff held discussions with the board on the topic of transfers after their 2-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Erik ten Hag’s first match in charge did not exactly go to plan but there are still weeks remaining for the club to strengthen his side ahead of the deadline on September 1.

What is the latest transfer news from Old Trafford?

Only three new signings have been made by the club this summer in what has been a surprisingly quiet window given how poorly the 2021-22 campaign went.

Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia are the new faces at Old Trafford but the same problems are seemingly persisting after their lacklustre display against the Seagulls.

A new striker is still on the agenda but they now appear to have lost out on the signing of Benjamin Sesko, with Fabrizio Romano reporting the Slovenian will now join RB Leipzig next summer.

Midfield is another area in which they want to improve but putting a lot of their energy into a Frenkie De Jong deal has backfired with the Dutchman now embroiled in a legal dispute with Barcelona and also targeted by Chelsea.

Latest reports from Sky Sports indicate that Adrien Rabiot could be close to moving to the Theatre of Dreams from Juventus.

What has Jones said on their possible plans?

The transfer insider says that discussions were held at Old Trafford after the clash with Brighton in which the recruitment team and the board talked through what they will do in the remaining weeks of the window.

There has apparently been a realisation that they could still need four or five new players in order to become competitive again.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “I think the time has come when United have to panic. You can't watch that game against Brighton and not panic.

“ I know that there were discussions after that game between the recruitment staff and people on the board and there's a complete realisation now that this squad is probably four, maybe even five players short if they're going to actually back Ten Hag and give him the opportunity to succeed.”

Where do United still need to strengthen?

You could point to weaknesses throughout the team but it is in midfield and up-front where improvements are most badly needed.

Cristiano Ronaldo has made it clear that he wants to leave but United have not exactly acted swiftly to bring in a replacement. After the latest Sesko setback, they now need to identify another target.

While Rabiot would represent a small step in the right direction, the Frenchman is someone who does not bring any guarantees with him either. As Jones says, there is a lot of work to do.