Erik ten Hag’s desire to find the next Tyrell Malacia is a great sign for Manchester United

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag ended the summer transfer window with a big money move for Antony. But his first signing was a lot cheaper, with Tyrell Malacia snapped up for just £13 million.

Malacia, 23, has been a hit at Old Trafford so far. His display against Manchester City in the derby was excellent, following on a similar strong display at home to Liverpool earlier in the season.

The move for Malacia showed Manchester United can get deals done for cheap prices, for players able to make an immediate contribution.

With funds currently limited, United are looking at replicating the Malacia deal, at Ten Hag’s direction.

READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loan deals for January 2023

Ten Hag plotting move for next Malacia

A report over the weekend claimed Erik ten Hag has instructed Manchester United’s scouts to do a deep dive into the Eredivisie to look for bargain talents.

While Jurrien Timber sits at the top end of his 12-man wish list, he won’t come cheap, other names could be a lot more reasonably priced.

Included among the names Ten Hag has recommended are AZ Alkmaar’s Jesper Karlsson, PSV’s Joey Veerman, along with Ajax duo Devyne Rensch and Kenneth Taylor.

Veerman for instance has a market value listed by Transfermarkt of 14 million Euros (£12.4 m), while Jesper Karlsson is listed at 16m Euros (£14.2 million). This is around the same figure as United paid for Malacia.

Whether United sign either player or not, is besides the point. Erik ten Hag is instructing the club’s scouts to assess the talent pool, and find those of a similar quality and price.

This is a strategy United need to employ more. Chasing big money players has been a route pursued by the club during the past decade, and it has usually ended in tears.

Ten Hag’s desire to find unearth the next big talent is a positive sign for United. Even if the club are taken over by super-rich owners, expect any big deals to be offset by cheaper moves too.

If the incoming players turn out to be as good as Malacia has shown, and has the potential to become, then the deals will be investments worth making.