Rafael da Silva believes Manchester United's flawed transfer strategy has been to blame for seven years without winning the Premier League.
The former United full-back was part of the last team which won the English top-flight under Sir Alex Ferguson during his last season at the club.
Since the legendary Scot left Old Trafford the club have failed to truly challenge for the title while they have also struggled to qualify for the Champions League on several occasions.
United are currently on the back of two trophyless seasons and Rafael believes this is mainly down to a flawed transfer strategy which saw them target big names as opposed to the right ones.
"It has taken too long to get back on track," Rafael told ESPN.
"It's been seven years [without a Premier League title]. We did some things wrong. We started signing expensive players and giving them a lot of money. I don't agree with that. Just because a player costs £150 million does not mean he's good for the team. It depends on the character of the player.
"I think that's where we made mistakes, we start to just buy players. I think it has to be a mix. You have to buy some expensive players but not all. I am a supporter too and I know they want the best players but let's see if he's the best player for Manchester United, let's see if he is going to work."
