How Erik ten Hag has negatively affected Manchester United’s transfer business

Originally posted on Caught Offside | By Mark Brus | Last updated 8/14/22

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been stubbornly insisting on the club sealing the transfer of FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

According to the Daily Mirror, Ten Hag has been reluctant to green-light any other potential Man Utd signings in case it hampered his chances of bringing De Jong to Old Trafford.

It seems clear that the Netherlands international is a player Ten Hag is desperate to work with, with the Mirror noting that he views him as being ideal to build his midfield around.

In which case, there’s obviously a strong argument for the club’s board doing everything possible to deliver the signing, but at the same time Ten Hag could have shown a bit more flexibility.

United have never looked particularly likely to sign De Jong, and after waiting this long for the player it’s starting to look like this was the wrong strategy.

MUFC put all their eggs in one basket, whereas if Ten Hag had been ready to accept a Plan B, they could have started the campaign with a stronger midfield pairing than Scott McTominay and Fred.

This article first appeared on Caught Offside and was syndicated with permission.

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