KEEP UP WITH TEN HAG... AND STOP TREADING WATER, UNITED

PERHAPS the Glazers and the Manchester United hierarchy think that they have done the hard part, by recruiting a manager who promises to be a class act?

Erik ten Hag (below) is taking his team in the right direction – to cup finals, to the Champions League.

Now, he just needs the characters that own the club, and the characters that run the club, to take the same path forward.

To begin with, get the whole ownership saga sorted, one way or the other.

I have been working in newspapers for a long, long time and still I don’t think I’ve had as many deadlines as Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have been given by the Glazers.

How can the ongoing uncertainty about who will have long-term stewardship of the club not be a distraction from the urgent business of a summer transfer policy?

Elite rivals are already acting on plans.

Liverpool quickly got the signing of Alexis Mac Allister wrapped up.

It is an open secret that Declan Rice will go to Arsenal, and Manchester City will add Mateo Kovacic to their midfield roster.

Manchester United’s recruitment department might well have detailed plans – it would be negligent if they did not – but, quite simply, they need to get cracking.

United have been linked with Kim Min-jae, but any big-money signing of the Napoli centre-half could well hinge on the possible sale of Harry Maguire.

That is just one element of Ten Hag’s squad building that needs to be addressed as quickly as possible.

So does the need for a world-class striker.

And the goalkeeping issue is surely a matter of extremely pressing importance.

Perhaps the Old Trafford hierarchy somehow has these matters in hand – but it still feels as though United are in some sort of limbo.

Despite the positive noises from both player and manager, Marcus Rashford’s contract will soon be in its final year.

There is a lot of confidence he will sign a new deal, but with Real Madrid in the market for elite firepower, you can imagine Rashford is in no particular rush.

Then, of course, there is the Mason Greenwood situation. It is a very sensitive issue and understandable that United’s executives are carefully considering their options. But the charges of attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour and assault were discontinued at the beginning of February. Four months later, the club’s internal investigation is still ongoing.

In short, there are a number of pressing issues – on and off the field – with which United need to deal.

The most pressing of all is at the very top.

Some United fans expected white smoke on Friday after Sheikh Jassim’s latest bid had been lodged. But it appears the impasse continues. There are still financial observers who believe the Glazers will not sell.

Either way, it needs to be sorted, because while Ten Hag is a manager making progress on the field, the club is treading water off it.

How can the uncertainty about ownership not be a distraction from summer transfer policy?

Fifpro, the world players’ union, warns about ‘workload’, you don’t but need reports of data to full know the elite calendar is already daft. In a year with no tournament, England will be playing a competitive fixture the day on The Ashes begins. Bonkers.