Erik ten Hag is a man on a mission. After a promising first year as Manchester United manager the Dutchman is determined to accelerate the process of reshaping his squad this summer.
In a transfer window likely to be defined by the need to balance the books and adhere to Financial Fair Play pressures, which restricted United to three cut-price loan deals in January, Ten Hag is going to demand he is backed again this summer.
It doesn’t feel like a coincidence that Ten Hag presided over Ajax’s three biggest transfer windows ever and then United’s most extravagant summer in his first year at the club. He is by no means a chequebook manager, but he is demanding of his recruitment department and has a habit of getting what he wants.
But as much as he will focus on trying to up the quality of his squad this year, he is continuing to show his ruthless side. Come the end of this window it will be fascinating to see just how much United’s squad has changed in a little over a year of Ten Hag’s stewardship.
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There was a hint of that approach last summer, although it wasn’t really led by Ten Hag. Andreas Pereira, Tahith Chong and James Garner were sold for fees and Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani were released.
Maybe the sale of Garner, a promising academy graduate that fans wanted to see given a chance, was the biggest hint of Ten Hag’s ruthless approach to transfers. There is talent in Garner, but Ten Hag had decided he wasn’t quite good enough and was instead worth banking a profit for.
A year on the cull is set to continue. Maybe that trait of Ten Hag’s will be best exemplified if he goes ahead with his instinct to allow David de Gea to leave at the end of this month. It sets the tone for wanting to turn this team into one in his own image as quickly as possible. But there will be other examples with several first-team players effectively on the transfer list.
Fred ended the season by hinting that his future might lie away from Old Trafford and Fulham are interested in the 30-year-old this summer. He played 90 minutes in the FA Cup final and was the only player to be included in every matchday squad during this 62-game season. Only De Gea and Bruno Fernandes played more than the Brazilian’s 56 games this season.
There was always a sense that he didn’t quite fit for Ten Hag, however, and long term he was unlikely to be part of the plans. A decision to cash in this summer would take away a reliable player, but one that might not quite be up to the level.
The same could be said of Scott McTominay, who is of interest to Newcastle and West Ham. As an academy graduate, he is a sellable asset for United. At Old Trafford he could be a squad player, but Ten Hag might have one eye on the funds he could bring in and believe there is a level higher than the Scot could reach available to him.
If Fred and McTominay were to depart it would signal a departure from recent years. The McFred midfield was often a source of frustration during the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era and they never looked good enough to be playing every week. If they go it would mean at least one midfielder, alongside Mason Mount, would be needed, but Ten Hag looks ready to push his rebuild to the next level.
There could be changes elsewhere. Harry Maguire could depart, which would leave United one player short at centre-back, and Anthony Martial could go as well, which would probably require two forwards to be signed when even just bringing one in looks a challenge at the moment.
It’s going to be fascinating to see, come the end of this transfer window, just how much this squad has been reshaped in three transfer windows under Ten Hag. The squad he inherited was bloated, but next season it could be about quality rather than quantity.
