Manchester United transfer target Marko Arnautovic was the last thing the club needed right now with the forward prone to putting himself before the team, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Erik ten Hag has overseen an underwhelming summer transfer window at Old Trafford but remains on the lookout for new recruits ahead of the September 1 deadline.

What is the latest transfer news?

United have been chasing a forward this summer but have so far been luckless in their pursuits.

Ajax winger Antony now appears to be beyond their reach with the Dutch champions upping their asking price to £84 million. Meanwhile, Red Bull Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko is set to move to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023, leaving United short of options.

Still, it was a surprise to many when former West Ham and Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic emerged as a potential target.

The 33-year-old made the move to Bologna in the summer of 2021 after agreeing to rip-up his £200,000 per-week contract with Shanghai Port.

United have reportedly made an opening bid of £7.5 million for the 102-cap Austria international but it is not an approach that has gone down well.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton was scathing in his analysis, saying: "It's a real wrong move in terms of the eyes of the supporters. There are a million other players out there United should have been linked with. I do not get that.

"It's an absolute PR disaster. If Arnautovic comes in, that's going to put Ten Hag under so much pressure."

The Athletic have since reported, however, that the Red Devils have pulled out of a move for the player with complaints from fans a contributing factor.

What has Jones said on the approach?

Jones understands that Arnautovic has not always been the easiest player to work with, reporting incidents of selfishness from the experienced forward.

The transfer insider told GIVEMESPORT: “United don't have many players at the moment in their squad who are over 30, so they are lacking some experience. I’m not sure Arnautovic was the best fit because I've heard before that sometimes he puts himself before the team. And that's the last thing Man United needed.”

Would Arnautovic be a good signing for United?

It is a sorry indictment of the state of play at Old Trafford that this is a move that was even sounded out by the board.

Not only would it have been an underwhelming move, it also shines a light on the clear lack of forward planning that has gone into this summer.

Even before Ronaldo made it clear he wanted to leave the club, United needed attacking reinforcements. Two months into the transfer window and they appear to be no closer to signing one.

Arnautovic has plenty of Premier League experience, with 184 top-flight appearances to his name and 113 senior goals in his career, but this is a signing that surely no one asked for.