Manchester United: The transfer conundrums facing Erik ten Hag this summer
At the end of his media conference after Manchester United’s defeat in the FA Cup final on 3 June, manager Erik ten Hag was asked if he had two plans for the summer – one if the long-awaited takeover had taken place and another if it had not.
Ten Hag’s response was decisive.
“I have only one plan and that is to improve this club and improve this team, and that I will fight for,” he said. “I have my ideas but also I have to work with my staff and my players to do better.”
It feels like the only clear vision to come out of United in what has turned into a tortuous summer.
Changes to what was generally accepted to be a squad not equipped for the demands placed on it have been limited.
Mason Mount, finally, is set to sign after three bids were turned down by Chelsea, while Zidane Iqbal – whose first-team experience extended to a single minute as a substitute in a dead-rubber Europa League group game in December 2021 – has been sold to Dutch side Utrecht.
Apart from that, there have been the exits of Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe, whose contracts have expired.
But there is no resolution to the ownership situation. There is no resolution to David de Gea’s contract situation. No new number nine has come in.
At least it means there will be a sense of familiarity for Ten Hag when he returns to Carrington for the start of pre-season training during the next week. But, given the activity at rival clubs, the Dutchman is facing a difficult few weeks.
Only about 30 fans were at Old Trafford on 27 June for the latest visual protest by the 1958 group that is campaigning to end the Glazer family’s ownership of the club.
In fairness, the numbers were perhaps affected by the fact hardly anyone expected the assessment of “strategic alternatives” for United to be continuing 231 days (to 30 June) after it was launched.
Sources have described the process as “complicated” and pointed out deals can take much longer than the United one to thrash out.
This may be true, but rarely can they have done so amid so much publicity and debate.
To outsiders it appears United are stuck, and until it is decided who is running the club over the long term, strategy and direction are missing.
This view is unfair on those who are at Old Trafford, trying to implement what they believe are the correct decisions.
But instability at the top affects any organisation, and in an unforgiving environment like the Premier League, offering rivals an advantage can only be seen as a negative.
It has been obvious for a considerable time Ten Hag’s biggest task of the summer was to find a centre-forward.
Harry Kane is the clear first choice, but initial soundings suggested luring the England skipper north from Tottenham would be impossible at a price United could afford.
Instead, Ten Hag is looking at younger options.
Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund has been frequently mentioned and the 20-year-old Denmark forward already has an international hat-trick to his name.
Randal Kolo Muani is also on United’s radar, although the 24-year-old France striker is rated highly by Eintracht Frankfurt and the transfer fee needed to buy him could prove prohibitive.
United do have the option of using Marcus Rashford in a central role, although it is not one he likes, while Anthony Martial still has a year left on the five-and-a-half-year deal he signed in January 2019.
Even if the uncertainty over De Gea’s future ends with him remaining at United, Ten Hag must be looking further ahead.
Andre Onana’s performance for Inter Milan in their Champions League final defeat by Manchester City was an example of what a modern-day goalkeeper is expected to produce with the ball at his feet.
De Gea simply cannot reach the same level on a consistent basis, and until that flaw in Ten Hag’s squad is resolved it is difficult to see how his team can deliver the performances demanded by the Dutchman.
It is fair to assume Dean Henderson believes he can do exactly what Ten Hag demands.
The big question is whether Ten Hag has the same view of a player who openly said he wanted to get out of Old Trafford before the former Ajax’s boss’ arrival last summer to prevent him having the opportunity to persuade Henderson to stay.
In addition to frequent examples of Manchester United buying poorly in recent years, there is plenty of proof they also find it difficult to sell well.
Given they need to generate money in the transfer market to bolster Ten Hag’s transfer budget, there is increased scrutiny on the business football director John Murtough can conduct.
The futures of 12 senior players are open to question.
Not all will leave, and possibly some of those who do will not attract significant bids.
Brandon Williams, Eric Bailly, Alex Telles, Anthony Elanga and Donny van de Beek may be obvious candidates for the exit door, both Fred and Scott McTominay are bound to be assessing their options in light of Mount’s imminent arrival,while Dean Henderson and Hannibal Mejbri have done enough during loan moves to attract some interest.
However, in the cases of Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial, there is a delicate balance of accepting a loss on a hefty transfer fee, knowing they are on contracts that might not be matched elsewhere and, not insignificantly, they would also need to be replaced.
This has a capacity to create a financial strain that may make leaving unviable.
Nevertheless, in an ideal world, Murtough would generate enough room to allow Ten Hag to get the players he wants.
Under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United made significant strides in one season, only to fall back just as far in the next.
Given the increased competition they are facing, they cannot afford to repeat past mistakes.
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