Manchester United's recent defeat at the hands of struggling Sunderland could prove to be the best result for the club, according to pundit Jamie Redknapp.

United fell to their seventh home defeat of the season on Saturday, with Redknapp also claiming that last week's victory over Norwich City merely "papered over the cracks".

"Losing at home to Sunderland for the first time in the league for 46 years is not what United wanted but, perversely, it might be the best result they could have hoped for," Redknapp wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.

"The win against Norwich just papered over the cracks. If United and Ryan Giggs had won all four of their final games, they might have thought things were OK and not many changes had to be made. That could not be further from the truth.

"United require major surgery and at least four or five new players. The display against Sunderland shows that David Moyes was not the only problem at the club – this group of players is just not good enough."

United currently occupy seventh position in the Premier League table.