Noel Whelan has taken aim at Leeds United's summer recruitment, not least their signing of Pierre-Michel Lasogga, brought in to replace 30-goal man Chris Wood.
Leeds slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Rodney Parade against League Two outfit Newport County on Sunday to exit the FA Cup at the very first hurdle.
Whelan thinks that in the summer transfer window the Whites were guilty of opting for quantity over quality and are now paying the price with a lack of strength in depth.
The former forward suggested that Leeds should have promoted from the Under-23s to bulk up the first team squad rather than squandering money on below par performers.
Asked whether Leeds may look to terminate the loans of players such as Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Lasogga this month, Whelan said on BBC Radio Leeds: "They've got to [play more games] because we don't have a squad big enough; they are all we've got.
relatedNewsStory
"Lasogga is a replacement for Chris Wood, apparently.
"We bought quanity and not quality – that's what you get.
"You can't just fill up a team sheet, squad numbers. You can do that with Under-23s though, don't spend and waste money", he added.
Leeds have made two signings so far this month, but neither are expected to be available for the first team squad yet.
Young defender Aapo Halme will link up with the Under-23s, while Yosuke Ideguchi is being loaned to Spanish side Cultural Leonesa.
