Manchester United are remaining flexible on this summer’s transfer budget as Erik ten Hag prepares to begin his Old Trafford overhaul.
The Ajax boss will take the reins at the Red Devils at the end of this season, replacing Ralf Rangnick with the 13-time Premier League winners at their lowest ebb in a generation. Saturday’s humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Brighton not only officially extinguished their slim hopes of a top-four finish, but ensured that United will now finish with their lowest ever points tally.
Ten Hag will inherit an ageing, underperforming squad with a whole host of players looking destined to leave. The Dutchman is set to hold talks with every member of the playing staff, before he begins to decide how and where he can improve their fortunes.
The 52-year-old has already made it clear that having a prominent voice when it comes to recruitment was a non-negotiable in talks with United, who have become a laughing stock in recent seasons thanks to their string of high-profile and expensive transfer misses.
“I make demands in advance before I arrive. If the club doesn’t grant them I won’t take the job,” he told Dutch outlet Trouw, shortly after his appointment. “I am the one responsible, I am the one who will get judged by results. I don’t want to be a ruler, I will work together, but having a say in transfers is a condition for me.
“I am aware of [the pressure]. We just have to win, in the end that’s what you get judged at.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! How many signings do Man Utd need to make this summer? # Let us know in the comments
But there is still some confusion over the type of warchest Ten Hag will be afforded in his first window in charge. The Sun have claimed that agents have been told to scour the globe for the best free agents this summer, with bosses set to cap his spending at £100million.
But the Manchester Evening News has claimed that no specific budget has been set and dismissed claims he could be given as little as £20m, or as much as £200m. United also intend to spend within their means and will not simply allow unlimited spending as seen in previous regimes.
One area where United are guaranteed to see savings is on the wage bill with a glut of high earners set to leave the club in the coming weeks. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani are all out of contract and set to exit, whilst Nemanja Matic has publicly declared he will be ending his stay at the club.
Meanwhile, reports have claimed that defenders Eric Bailly and Phil Jones have told team-mates they intend to leave, whilst back-up goalkeeper Dean Henderson is also likely to go in search of regular first-team football. The MEN add that United are set to target deals which can be structured in installments, as seen with the transfers of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane last summer.
There has been speculation that one avenue Ten Hag could look towards is bringing players directly from Ajax to his new employers, although he has definitely stated there are no agreements currently in place. Interim boss Ralf Rangnick is set to meet with the new manager at the end of the season, where he will outline his own evaluations of a squad which has vastly underperformed under his stewardship, since replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in December of last year.
