Manchester United's deal to sign sign Adrien Rabiot collapsed because of the Juventus midfielder's wage demands, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

Erik ten Hag has endured a horrific start to the season at Old Trafford and is running out of time to strengthen his squad ahead of the summer transfer window closing on September 1 with the collapse of the Rabiot deal following on from the Marko Arnautovic move also breaking down.

What is the latest news on Rabiot?

A £15 million fee had already been agreed between the two clubs for the transfer of the 27-year-old, but a failure to agree personal terms has left the deal dead in the water as things stand.

United had been locked in negotiations with the player's agent and mother, Veronique Rabiot, as they look to negotiate a deal for the midfielder.

Reports in Italy have previously stated that talks between the £175,000 per-week star's representatives and United had stalled and that the Red Devils were even beginning to look at alternatives, and that has proved to be the case.

What has Crook said on the Rabiot deal collapse?

Reacting to the news the potential move had broken down, Crook gave a clearer insight into excatly why.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “The situation with Rabiot as I understand it is obviously that the clubs have had a fee agreed for a week or so now. I think United always felt negotiating with his mum was going to be tricky.

"Basically, I think because he's available on a free transfer in the summer, he tried to maximise that in terms of a pay packet and was demanding parity with some of United's best-paid players. They decided it was too much to pay."

Why is Erik ten Hag chasing midfielders?

Frenkie De Jong and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo are just two of the names who have also been linked with a move to Old Trafford, alongside Rabiot, and it is clear Ten Hag sees the area as a big weakness.

In two Premier League games, he has already used two different pairings. Against Brighton in the opening game, he used the familiar duo of Fred and Scott McTominay. In the 4-0 thrashing of Brentford, Christian Eriksen dropped deep to partner the Brazilian.

Neither plan has worked so far. While Fred and McTominay have proved hard-working servants the general consensus among fans seems to be that they lack the quality necessary to take United back to where they want to be.

The likes of Rabiot and De Jong would represent steps in the right direction with each player boasting a track record of progressing play through the midfield.

Against Brentford, neither Eriksen or Fred created a chance and made just 10 passes into the final third between them, as per FOTMOB.

By comparison, De Jong played just 30 minutes for Barcelona from the bench against Rayo Vallecano over the weekend and created two chances for his teammates.