There wasn’t too much sympathy for Erik ten Hag when he cited a lack of January investment at Manchester United.
In the wake of the weekend win over Fulham, which confirmed a third-place finish in the Premier League, the United manager made the point of how impressive the achievement was given the spending of his top-four rivals.
"The club knows that if you want to play top four, if you want to compete for trophies in this tough league, you have to invest, otherwise you won't progress because other clubs will.
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"We saw it in the winter. All the clubs around us invested. We didn't and still we made it. So I am really happy and proud of my team," he said in what appeared to be a dig at the board.
United were in need of reinforcements midway through the campaign in key areas that would heavily influence the success of the rest of their season.
Christian Eriksen was injured, Cristiano Ronaldo had just left, and Ten Hag was well aware that new bodies were needed to help his side cope with the bumper fixture schedule and get through by hook or by crook to the finish line.
With a limited budget and limited options, United signed Marcel Sabitzer and Wout Weghorst on loan. They both played a part in achieving the top-four finish, though they might not be around to hear the Champions League anthem echo around Old Trafford again.
These were bridge signings - players targeted to fulfill short-term objectives rather than long-term ones. They certainly weren’t of the quality of Arsenal’s mid-season moves for Leandro Trossard and Jorginho, Liverpool’s addition of Cody Gakpo, or the roughly £300m spent by Chelsea.
Rival fans were quick to point to last summer’s record level of spending as hypocrisy on Ten Hag’s part, a narrative that can easily be twisted to be used against him.
It is a fact that United spent more across a single summer window than they ever had before, but there was some mitigation to that given they had lost six senior players on free transfers at the end of last season, which significantly lowered their wage expenditure and freed up sizeable transfer funds.
So, with regard to the January window, he does have a valid point. In an ideal world, United would have been able to address their squad issues with top targets rather than what was simply available at the time, and it is testament to Ten Hag’s management that he still managed to make it a success when his hands were tied.
More important than the players he brought in has been the mentality, with United now together in spirit as much as they are in name.
There has been an overall rise in standards across all areas of the club this season, most of which has stemmed from Ten Hag and the authoritarian approach he has taken to the role.
It is thanks to their commitment to the cause that they have been able to overcome a gruelling season like no other, and despite a fair few bumps in the road, they thoroughly deserved their third-place finish.
Solid foundations have been laid heading into another important summer break for United, and comments from their manager serve as another timely reminder of the investment that is required if they are to reap the full potential of their harvest.
Ten Hag might have spent a lot of money, but many of his changes have been priceless.
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