Erik ten Hag will be licking his wounds after Sunday’s thrashing at Old Trafford but for one Dutch pundit, there are bigger issues.
Sunday saw any hope and optimism heading into the 2024/25 season smashed to pieces by Arne Slot and Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool made light work of Manchester United – a sentence becoming all too commonplace – but it has once again left fans pondering if Erik ten Hag is really the right man for the job in year three – with the Dutchman already having to defend himself from the media.
Despite the team on paper being strong there is something inherently wrong with this squad and the set-up – which has us thinking Ten Hag needs to return to the drawing board.
Now, Marco Van Basten has been discussing the United boss again and stated that the Dutchman is still making one big mistake.
Erik ten Hag is still making his biggest mistake at Man Utd
Prior to the summer, when it looked like Ten Hag’s job was on the line, his fellow Dutchman Van Basten backed Ten Hag.
He did however raise concerns over Ten Hag being given the power to sign his former players from Ajax.
Now, speaking with Voetbal Primeur, Van Basten has revealed that this is still a problem.
“You just asked me who the best coach is. Then I said Arne Slot, but I also think Erik ten Hag is a good coach”, Van Basten explained about the United manager.
“I just don’t think he’s a good technical director. His purchasing policy over the past three years is downright bad. I don’t know if it’s his fault, or the fact that they didn’t have a technical director at Manchester United.
“He basically had to play that role. When you see how many players he has bought over the past three years, and who ultimately did not deliver, that is bad.”
This summer alone we have seen Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui arrive at the club – despite both being players United fans wanted.
There seems to still be a level of Ten Hag recruitment power at the club, however it is clearly waning, with Leny Yoro, Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte being club signings.
Next summer Ineos should have complete control
This summer transfer window – while ultimately successful – was not the window Ineos would have wanted when they took charge earlier this year.
The late arrival of Dan Ashworth will have left the start of the summer delayed and rushed – which may explain why Ten Hag ultimately got two of his former Ajax players signed.
Next summer there will be no such problem and we would instead expect that United will be looking to get the business done and dusted early – while planning may already be taking place.
This is the way we expect the organised version of United under Ineos’ team of experts to behave.
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