Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been busy at work during his first week as the club’s new head coach.
The Dutchman was confirmed as Ralf Rangnick ’s permanent successor back in April - and got a headstart in the role having cancelled his contract with former club Ajax early. However, it has only been across the last week that he has been able to work at close quarters with his players - those who were not called on international duty throughout the summer - having returned to training at Carrington.
Ten Hag took his first training session on Monday and is now settling in at the famous Lowry Hotel where he is currently staying in Manchester. It is understood his stay at the hotel Jose Mourinho called home during his stint as manager is temporary as he searches for a permanent home.
He was pictured arriving at his temporary residence on Wednesday where he has the perfect opportunity to work through some of the conundrums that he has stumbled upon during his first few days with the Red Devils.
Mirror Football looks at the issues he will be aiming to address and consider during his time away from the training pitch in his first week.
1) Convince De Jong to join
Heading into the job at Old Trafford, Ten Hag will have already had a number of transfer targets in-mind. One of those names on his shortlist was compatriot Frenkie de Jong.
A deal appears close with the Red Devils having agreed a fee with Barcelona for his signature.
It is now down to Ten Hag to convince the midfielder to complete a switch to Old Trafford and should he do that then he will finally be securing the signing of one of his priority targets of the summer.
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2) Wrap up Malacia transfer
Whilst De Jong appears likely to become a Red Devil sooner rather than later, he could very quickly be joined by one of his international colleagues - Tyrell Malacia.
The young Dutchman initially looked to be on the verge of a move to French outfit Lyon but United swooped in to hijack the deal.
A fee has already been agreed with Feyenoord, so it is now a case of getting the deal over the line - something Ten Hag will be keen to do this week. He has long been an admirer of the full-back and was keen to sign him for Ajax previously.
3) Decide on left-backs
With Malacia set to arrive at Old Trafford, his signing leaves huge questions over the futures of a number of current players already at the club. The defender bloats the club’s current left-back options with both Luke Shaw and Alex Telles already at Old Trafford.
It appears highly unlikely that Ten Hag will be able to offer first-team football to the trio throughout the campaign. The Manchester Evening News have already suggested that he does not see Telles as a first-team option which could lead to his departure.
But Luke Shaw is also entering another interesting stage of his Old Trafford career with Malacia's arrival leaving Ten Hag to consider where he sees the England international fitting into his plans.
4) Work out next move
With deals for De Jong and Malacia in place, Ten Hag will have kicked-off the club’s summer business excellently. It is not expected to end there though with a number of holes still needing to be filled.
Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, whilst Ajax pair Antony and Lisandro Martinez are under consideration.
The Red Devils certainly have money to spend this summer, but it is unlikely that they have an endless pot of resources with Mirror Football understanding Ten Hag was given a £120million budget.
With that in mind, the Dutchman may have some big decisions to make regarding his priorities with a versatile attacker set to be the next port of call.
5) Run rule over youngsters
It remains to be seen how many new faces will be welcomed to Old Trafford this summer but some at Old Trafford will be hoping that there aren't many.
There is currently a clutch of young players attempting to make their breakthroughs into the first team in the upcoming season including James Garner, Hannibal Mejbri, Shola Shoretire and Alvaro Fernandez.
Should there not be a route through to the first-team then loan deals appear to be the best way for those aforementioned youngsters to continue their respective developments.
The Manchester Evening News have reported that full-back Fernandez could be amongst those to leave on loan with Championship clubs keen, and he won't be the only one.
Ten Hag must then decide which he is willing to let go, and which he would like to keep at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future.
