In many ways, the appointment of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford represented a departure for the Manchester United ownership, with the Dutchman undoubtedly the overwhelming fans’ choice as the incoming manager and someone who was considered as a progressive selection.
Of course, ten Hag has overseen minor improvements during the pre-season, especially when it comes to the side’s defensive shape, ability to press effectively and the sense of purpose evident on the pitch.
However, the club’s off-field management continues to falter, signing just three players to date (including a free agent in the form of Christian Eriksen) and failing to address key issues with the existing playing squad.
Unsurprisingly, United are rank outsiders to mount a title challenge this season, while Betcoin promo code holders should note that the club are sixth favourites to claim a coveted top-four finish in 2022/23. So, let’s take a look at a summer of transfer failings and ask how this could impact on ten Hag’s tenure.
The Ins and Outs – The Story So Far
So, United have signed left-back Tyrell Malacia and ten Hag’s former Ajax centre back Lisandro Martínez for a combined fee of around £60 million.
The talented Christian Eriksen has also arrived on a free transfer after impressing at Brentford in the second half of last season, adding some much-needed quality and composure in the middle of the park.
These signings represent excellent value for money, while two of them (Martinez and Eriksen) address issues that directly plagued United for much of last season.
However, left back wasn’t one of United’s most pressing problems heading into the new season, and while Malacia appears to be an upgrade on Alex Telles, the Reds are arguably far more vulnerable in the right back position.
The farcical pursuit of Dutch midfield maestro Frenkie de Jong has also cast a huge cloud over the club, lingering for weeks while leaving United without a specialist defensive midfielder ahead of the new season. Still this transfer saga rumbles on, leaving United’s leadership and ten Hag looking increasingly foolish.
Last season’s top scorer and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo may also leave during the summer window in search of UCL football, potentially exacerbating issues that have left the Reds short of numbers (and quality) on the right flank and through the middle.
Sure, the returning Anthony Martial has impressed and may well lead the line for ten Hag with distinction given his quality, but the Frenchman is just one man (while his lack of reliability could pose a huge headache for the Dutch manager).
Will ten Hag’s Tenture be Undermined by Poor Recruitment?
While ten Hag is well qualified to improve United and deliver better results and performances than last season, the side’s ceiling will ultimately be dictated by recruitment and how many new faces it can bring in at right back, central midfield and attack.
If the window was to end now, there’s no doubt that ten Hag’s immediate and medium-term tenure would be dramatically undermined, especially given the improvements made by Arsenal and Spurs in recent months.
Of course, ten Hag would be in good company in this respect, with stellar managers like Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho undermined by inconsistent backing at board level and a failure to recruit effectively.
While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was afforded largely unconditional backing during his time at Old Trafford, slow recruitment and the failure to conclude multiple deals at once also held back the Norwegian on several occasions.
Ultimately, the Reds needed to recruit and spend well this summer, while ten Hag would have at least expected to land his primary targets and cover the loss of first team players like Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata on free transfers.
As it stands, United’s squad retains significant holes and a real lack of quality, while the failure to address the defensive midfield position (which has been a huge issue for several years now) could even prove to be ten Hag’s downfall at Old Trafford.
