Robin van Persie has criticised his former club Manchester United for gambling on 'star names' such as Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez.

Both players arrived at Old Trafford arrived with huge reputations but failed to deliver, with Sanchez now on loan at Inter Milan and Pogba expected to depart this summer.

And Van Persie thinks the club got their recruitment strategy completely wrong.

"They built the club on a coach's sporting project. At Manchester United, they gamble on star names like Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez," the ex-United striker told SoFoot.

"That's one way. It is risky. If such a player gets injured or does not fit, the whole team is vulnerable. While having a philosophy like Liverpool and not Manchester United creates enormous collective power.

"The challenge for Manchester United is to see if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can successfully establish a philosophy of his own."