Manchester United can now plan for a transfer window under Erik ten Hag – but may dodge signing one of his favourite players.
The decision has finally been made – Erik ten Hag is staying at Manchester United.
An official announcement has not arrived just yet but reports indicate that Ineos have decided to keep the Dutchman after all.
There may have been some flirting with other managers – Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino to name a couple – but Ten Hag is now staying put.
Finally having clarity over the situation is great for all involved and United can now head towards the summer transfer window with a clear plan in mind.
The Independent suggest that United want to water down Ten Hag’s power in the transfer market and form a more coherent plan throughout the plan.
Manchester United back away from Matthijs de Ligt
Ten Hag has been given the power to sign some of his former players since arriving at Old Trafford.
Each summer transfer window has seen Ten Hag reunite with two former players; Lisandro Martinez and Antony in 2022 before Andre Onana and Sofyan Amrabat arrived in 2023.
That may be more of a rarity now and one Ten Hag favourite now looks unlikely to be joining United this summer.
90Min report that United are backing away from a potential move to sign Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt.
United are in the market for a new centre back or two this summer and De Ligt was part of Ten Hag’s superb Ajax side which reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019.
However, it is now suggested that the transfer fee and wages involved in signing De Ligt have effectively ruled United out of the race.
Bayern paid £65million to sign De Ligt in 2022 and United seemingly have no plans to send them a big fee and then pay considerable wages on top.
- READ MORE: Manchester United confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25
De Ligt on Ten Hag
This may actually be something of a disappointment for De Ligt, who may be on the move once again this summer.
Spells with Juventus and Bayern haven’t quite gone to plan for De Ligt and playing under a manager he knows may be ideal for him at this stage in his career.
Ten Hag would certainly offer that prospect but unless the price changes, United won’t be making a move.
That could be a disappointment for De Ligt, who has previously praised Ten Hag’s ability as a coach.
Speaking in 2022, De Ligt hailed Ten Hag as a ‘really good’ coach and backed him to succeed at United given how detail-oriented he was at Ajax.
“He is someone who loves his job and he loves to work,” said De Ligt. “He’s really into the details. This makes him a really good trainer. He has a lot of qualities (to succeed). We will have to see how he goes,” he added.
A reunion would have made perfect sense, but United’s budget seemingly won’t stretch to bringing De Ligt to Old Trafford this summer.
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