Former striker Louis Saha has claimed that Manchester United should have pushed through a deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

Despite constant speculation regarding his future since the end of last season, Fernandes is still at the Portuguese side with less than a week remaining of the summer transfer window.

United opted against signing the 24-year-old before the start of the new Premier League campaign, something which Saha feels that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may regret in future months.

The Frenchman told Record: "Bruno Fernandes is a player of great technical quality who could be extremely decisive at various points in United's game, but more than that, he's a born leader and that's what Manchester United are missing this season.

"Only time can tell, but judging from everything that has happened, United made a mistake by not buying Bruno Fernandes and not signing a creative midfield player."

Tottenham Hotspur are also said to have held an interest, while Real Madrid are allegedly considering an approach in the coming days.