Man United target players who would "die for the badge" as Red Devils bid to become top dogs again

Manchester United director of football Jason Wilcox has said that the Red Devils are now putting a lot of focus on their potential new signings being 'team players'.

The Red Devils have changed their transfer policy since Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival as a minority shareholder, with the club no longer prepared to pay substantial fees for players in the latter stages of their careers.

Two proven Premier League players in the shape of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha made the move to Old Trafford over the summer, while Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens were also signed.

Wilcox has said that introducing the right characters into the Man United dressing room is high on the club's priority list.

"It is so important. I think you have to bring players in that bring something different to the changing room," Wilcox told Inside Carrington. "The most important thing is that, whenever we bring in a player, they have to want to improve and they have to be a team player, and understand what it means to be part of a successful team.

Wilcox: 'Man United want functional, team players'

"It is not about putting the Harlem Globetrotters together. If I look at successful Man United teams, there were very functional players that would die for the badge and there were some mavericks.

"When you talk about [Eric] Cantona, when you hear anybody talk about him, he was an ultimate professional.

"When I look now and I see the car park. When the report time is 09:45, you see the lads coming in at 08:30, 08:45, preparing for training, and this is a good sign.

"The mood on the training pitch hasn't really changed, the intensity on the training pitch and the noise level hasn't really changed, winning or losing.

"Of course, when you lose a football match, there is a lot of disappointment and a lot of frustration but, once they are on that training pitch, the character, the team spirit, you can feel it, you can feel the energy growing and we have just got to keep it going.

Wilcox: 'Important to remain calm amid struggles'

"What we have got to try to do is, whether we are winning or losing, we can't have the pendulum shifting so much where it affects the mood in Carrington.

"And if anyone comes into Carrington, and if anyone is around Carrington, actually, the first thing they say when they go away is 'it's nothing like it appears from the outside'.

"So it's just a narrative that sometimes people are trying to create. But the most important thing is that, internally, we know what we need to do, we know where we are as a group, the players understand where we are as a club and we are making progress, on and off the pitch.

"I spoke last week to MUTV and, when I say we are making progress, it is not just on the pitch, it is off the pitch as well with our processes, the facilities, the structures, the staff.

"What we have got to do, despite all the noise, we have just got to remain calm and understand that we are heading in a positive direction. We are going to have bumps in the road and it's important that we smooth out the bumps and not get overexcited or too disappointed."

Man United, who are currently eighth in the Premier League table, will be bidding to return to winning ways in England's top flight when they head to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.