Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s summer transfer plans have taken a huge hit after reports emerged the club’s authorities will give him a limited budget to rebuild a squad lacking in quality. United had a disappointing 2018/2019 season, finishing outside the champions league places.

The Red Devils finished in the sixth position and that drew in criticism from many quarters. A lot of critics slammed the current United team, saying most of the players are not good enough. The 20 times league champions saw their arch-rivals Manchester City and Liverpool win the Premier League and Champions League respectively.

As a result, Solskjaer who replaced Jose Mourinho as the club’s manager in December 2018 wants to build a squad that will be able to compete with those two next season. But according to ESPN, the former Cardiff manager has been given just £100 million to spend this summer by United authorities and may have to rely on player sales if he wants to get more players in.

The likes of Paul Pogba, David De Gea and Romelu Lukaku have all been linked with a big money move away from the club but that could be detrimental to the long term prospects of the club. The view from the club is that if they can keep those trios, the club should be able to compete by signing emerging talents.

But having seen Ander Herrera and Antonio Valencia leave as free agents at the end of last season, five months after the £10.5m sale of Marouane Fellaini to Shandong Luneng, Solskjaer has been told that his initial rebuilding plans must be financed by the £100m transfer fund.

Solskjaer, who was confirmed as full-time manager in March after initially replacing the sacked Jose Mourinho on a caretaker basis last December, has so far added just one signing in Swansea City winger Daniel James to his squad since the end of last season, when United finished sixth and without a trophy for the second successive campaign.

United, who have recently given new contracts to Ashley Young, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Juan Mata, are also pursuing Leicester and England centre-back Harry Maguire, Newcastle United midfielder Sean Longstaff and Crystal Palace defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

But with the club’s players due to report back for preseason training on July 1, only £15m has been spent so far. According to ESPN, moves for Maguire and Wan-Bissaka have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough due to United offering substantially less than the valuations of Leicester and Palace respectively.

Should Pogba, De Gea or Lukaku be sold, sources have told ESPN FC Solskjaer and his backroom staff would expect to be given the proceeds to reinvest in the squad. But interest in Borussia Dortmund forward Jadon Sancho has already been shelved due to the German club’s £80m-plus valuation of the England player, while Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly is also regarded as being over-priced, with the Italian club seeking at least £90m.