REDS SHOPPING IN THE BARGAIN BASEMENT
Ten Hag still in the dark about squad hopes and time is running out as his transfer war chest won’t stretch to marquee signings
MANCHESTER UNITED embark on their preseason tour a fortnight today – with new boss Erik ten Hag no closer to knowing the make-up of his travelling squad.
He wanted the bulk of his signings made before the Reds left for the two-and-ahalf week tour of Thailand and Australia, to be able to integrate them with his existing stars. But with many first-team members back for training on Monday, when Ten Hag will finally meet his players face-to-face, the club are struggling to get deals over the line.
Chief executive Richard Arnold’s blunt admission – covertly recorded in a chat with disgruntled fans in a Cheshire pub – that United had “f ****** burned through cash” is coming back to haunt the fallen giants. While
Arnold (right) bullishly claimed the funds are available for Ten Hag to spend on the players he wants, it is understood the new manager’s transfer budget this summer is capped at £120million.
That limit is what prevented United from being legitimate contenders to buy Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez, who eventually joined their arch rivals Liverpool in a deal worth up to £85m. To sign Nunez would have effectively blown a significant chunk of Ten Hag’s first transfer budget, leaving him with little to invest in other areas of the squad that need addressing.
Given the Reds have lost five firstteamers this summer
– Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata – Ten Hag needs to spend his wisely over a number of positions. The 52-year-old Dutch coach wants a centre-back, a creative midfielder and a defensive midfielder, as well as a versatile striker who is able to play in a variety of positions across the forward line.
Ten Hag would also like to strengthen in both full-back positions, but there is an acceptance on his behalf that he is unable to
address every area of concern in one window and must prioritise.
Against that backdrop, he is focusing on a centre-back, striker and midfielder, but the club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League has forced him to revise the players he is targeting.
Given their current status as a Europa League side, with little hope of making an immediate return to the Champions League, United are chasing less high-profile players who are hungry for the chance to prove themselves.
They include Ten Hag’s former Ajax pair, central defender Lisandro Martinez and forward Antony, as well as another of his former charges, midfielder Frenkie De Jong, who Barcelona are keen to offload for £75m – £10m more than United are willing to pay.
While Manchester City and Liverpool are now so far ahead of United they cannot be considered direct rivals, the fact both have come out of the blocks so early in the transfer market this summer and completed significant business already only fuels the sense of incompetence at Old Trafford.
During their allconquering years under Sir Alex Ferguson, United were renowned for stealing a march on their opponents,
getting their recruitment done efficiently and quickly, to ensure they remained ahead of the chasing pack.
Now, with the chasing pack having overtaken them and disappeared out of sight, the Reds find themselves cast in the role of bargain hunters.
They are shopping around for the cheapest deals on a restricted budget that is unlikely to see them return to the winner’s enclosure any time soon.