Erik ten Hag says Leny Yoro is one of three Man Utd signings who are transforming the dressing room

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is confident the club is in a better place than when he arrived.

While performances on the pitch make his assessment debatable, he has at least won two trophies, ending a spell of six years without winning any silverware at all.

Aside from this, Erik ten Hag feels Manchester United’s squad is in a far better place than it was in 2022.

Many high-earning, older players have been moved on. While this does not extend to one of his early signings, Casemiro, the manager is confident that the past two summer transfer windows have focused on young signings who represent the future of the club.

• READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25

Three United signings picked out

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag spoke at his press conference and chose to underline where he has seen growth in respect to Manchester United’s squad.

He believes his Manchester United side are a work in progress, and believes the groundwork he has laid will pay off long term.

Ten Hag named Leny Yoro among three signings he believes will define his project long-term and shape Manchester United for the better.

He explained: “Still now we are working and we are in progress. We have to sign players and we made the choice to sign very young players.

“Like last year, Hojlund and Zirkzee and Leny Yoro are players we believe in for this moment but also for the future and we have to build them.

“When I started we spoke about more, we had to make a switch in the dressing room.

“We have turned a corner and we have to work with the squad and that takes time and of course, [that is] also not good behaviour for me, I am impatient. I want to go straight forward.

“To be fair, we have also had success in the last two seasons and we have to work very hard to bring further success.”

Short-term moves in year one has hurt Ten Hag

Manchester United would not ideally be a ‘work in progress’, and this should not be the case in year three of his project. Yet this is a reality, like it or not.

It is the result of taking a short-term approach to fix issues during Ten Hag’s first transfer window in charge, which did not go at all smoothly.

United signed Christian Eriksen and Casemiro to fill the glaring gaps in midfield, two players entering their 30s.

It was clear both of them would need replacing within a couple of seasons, and once again United are starting from scratch.

Striker was a position Ten Hag chose not to address in his first transfer window, delaying the inevitable.

Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund have subsequently been signed, but it remains to be seen if either can be the truly prolific striker United require.

Central defence was a position where Ten Hag made a move initially to sign Lisandro Martinez – but he feels Yoro is the one who will last long into the future.