Q&A: Will United be forced to sell assets like Garnacho and Mainoo?

BBC Sport chief football news reporter Simon Stone has been answering your questions on Manchester United. In this third of a four-part Q&A, he looks at United's finances and how they will affect Ruben Amorim's squad planning.

Dawn asked: Do you think the penny has dropped with the owners and they have realised they have no choice but to invest in the squad in order to compete?

Simon: It is pretty clear significant investment is needed to get Ruben Amorim's squad into the kind of state he needs to even be competitive in the Premier League.

The issue is twofold - how much are the club willing to spend and how much are they allowed to spend? The brutal truth, as outlined by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is that too many of United's players are either overpaid or not good enough. Their league position confirms that. It will take years to unravel this situation. Then United need to spend well, accepting no club gets everything right, not even Brighton, and that all their rivals will be trying to move forward at the same time.

Leo asked: Are United going to sell young talents such as Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo?

Simon: We could go down a rabbit hole here. Let me be clear, I think it is better for Manchester United - or anyone for that matter - to nurture their own players and turn them into first-team stars. But the bottom line is they have to be good enough.

The Class of 92 weren't given an opportunity because they were young, it was because they were excellent and Sir Alex Ferguson had faith in them. The same is true of Sir Matt Busby and his Babes. Ayden Heaven isn't homegrown but he showed signs of genuine promise prior to getting injured at Leicester before the international break.

The same is true of another arrival from Arsenal, Chido Obi - who scored loads at youth level but hasn't quite adapted to the first team. They will both take time to come to terms with what is being asked of them.

Garnacho and Mainoo have potential. But that is what it is. I felt too much was asked of them last season, which gave a false impression of their development. I don't like the idea of Mainoo leaving because he is a local lad. Garnacho, I suspect, will leave eventually because he grew up in Spain.

But if either is to stay, their performances have to merit it.

Come back to this page later for the final part of the Q&A in which Simon will look at what Ruben Amorim's team could look like next season and what kind of players the club can attract