Micah Richards has insisted that Manchester United “can afford” to be a “bit more adventurous” with signing one player for Erik ten Hag this summer.
Erik ten Hag has seen the arrival of new signings for his first-team squad this summer, including Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and Leny Yoro from Lille.
However, the 54-year-old Manchester United boss has already been dealt a major blow after Leny Yoro was sidelined following an injury sustained during pre-season.
United have also been efficient in offloading players this summer, including Donny van de Beek, Willy Kambwala and Mason Greenwood all leaving Old Trafford.
Ten Hag is expected to see further reinforcement to his United first team before the transfer window shuts on 30th August.
United have been linked with signing a defensive midfielder, with Burnley’s Sander Berge and Paris Saint-Germain’s Manuel Ugarte emerging as key targets.
The Red Devils are also set to bolster their defence with the acquisitions of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich.
Richards on Man Utd transfer for one player
Manchester United had tabled a joint bid to sign Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui before Bayern Munich rejected the initial offer.
However, the Red Devils are now set to complete the signings of the Bayern duo after De Ligt and Mazraoui flew out to England for their medicals.
United are believed to have agreed an initial fee of £38.6m for Bayern centre-back De Ligt, with a further £4.3m to be paid in add-ons.
Bayern full-back Mazraoui is set to cost United £12.9m, with Red Devils right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka now set to leave Old Trafford and sign for West Ham.
Erik ten Hag is all too familiar with both De Ligt and Mazraoui after coaching the Bayern stars during his time in charge of Dutch side Ajax.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football, Micah Richards admitted that he is far from concerned with United signing a player like De Ligt.
“It looks like they’ve got De Ligt and Mazraoui through the door,” he said.
“When we talk about Man United and the way they play, the structure of the team, sometimes they sit really deep because they’ve not got the pace.
“If you get De Ligt in the team… I wouldn’t say he’s rapid but he’s not as slow as someone like [Harry] Maguire on the turn and that’s no disrespect to Maguire.
“So, I think they can afford to be a bit more adventurous.”
Richards disagreed with Ferdinand and Scholes
United legend Rio Ferdinand waxed lyrical about seeing De Ligt when he bust onto the scene at Ajax and the transformative impact he had on the Dutch side.
However, the 45-year-old former United defender did raise his concerns over De Ligt’s injury record and whether the Red Devils should sign him from Bayern.
Rio Ferdinand’s former United teammate Paul Scholes pulled no punches over the Red Devils making a move for the 25-year-old De Ligt this summer.
Paul Scholes questioned if United were now signing a “second-rate defender” and had a “big concern” about De Ligt not playing for Bayern ahead of Eric Dier.
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