A Manchester United executive says the struggling club faces pressure to buy ''world class'' talent rather than emulating Leicester's transfer strategy of taking risks signing cheaper, unproven talent.

Leicester has surged to top place in the English Premier League after fighting relegation last year.

A Leicester team assembled for around $30 million beat Manchester City last weekend.

United has spent more than 10 times that since Louis van Gaal became the manager in 2014, but the team is 12 points behind Leicester in fifth place.

Discussing Leicester, United vice chairman Ed Woodward says ''some players are bought by other clubs with an eye to them developing into something special in a few years' time.''

Woodward says United faces pressure to sign players who are ''verging on world class, almost immediately.''

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