From the moment that Erik ten Hag put pen to paper on the contract that made him the new manager of Manchester United, the clock has been ticking to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford.
Having not yet made it as far as his first training session, the 52-year-old already faces a groundswell of pressure; largely focussed on whatever business the Red Devils conduct during the newly-opened summer transfer window. Nine days in and while United have offloaded a host of first-team stalwarts and lightened their wage budget in the process, Ten Hag has failed to snap up any of his top targets.
Frenkie de Jong is the Dutch tactician's priority candidate for his first signing, but negotiations with Barcelona are far from reaching a successful conclusion. Chief executive Richard Arnold - who himself was only promoted four months ago following the departure of Ed Woodward - confirmed in a leaked video speaking to supporters on Saturday that the Red Devils are indeed attempting to thrash out a deal for the Netherlands international, while another ex- Ajax star is closely behind De Jong on Ten Hag's wish-list.
