Erik ten Hag has told Manchester United's recruitment team the exact type of players he wants ahead of a busy summer transfer window.
The Red Devils are expecting a high turnover of players during the coming weeks. The departures of long-term stars Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Lee Grant and Juan Mata have been confirmed, with the likes of Nemanja Matic and Phil Jones set to follow.
New manager Ten Hag will need to make a number of signings as a result. United haven't won a trophy since their Europa League success in 2017, and they finished sixth in the Premier League this season - recording their lowest points total since 1989-90 (58).
According to The Telegraph, Ten Hag wants to know if transfer targets can 'outrun, outplay and outfight' opponents. It's believed players who do not fit this specific criteria will not be signed by the Dutchman, who is desperate to be successful at Old Trafford.
As reported by The Times, Ten Hag will have around £120million to spend this summer. That figure could rise to as high as £200m if there are outgoings.
Ten Hag's predecessor Ralf Rangnick suggested United will need to bring up to 10 new players this summer to fix their failing squad, suggesting it needs 'open-heart surgery'. The new boss was keen to play down these claims at his unveiling last month.
Will Erik ten Hag be a success at Manchester United? Let us know in the comments below!
"I am still in the process of analysing to set conclusions," said Ten Hag. "I am looking forward to working with these players. The season before, this squad was second in the league, so there is huge potential. I think if we improve, if we can work with them, I think we can get out more than what is now the result from this season."
He went on to say: "What we are now doing is first constructing the staff, constructing the squad and constructing a good plan. First it's the pre-season plan that we are now working on... recruitment is an important part."
United's recruitment since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure in the summer of 2013 has been poor, to put it lightly. They've spent more than £1billion on transfers during the last nine years, winning just three major trophies - the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.
Some of United's more costly signings include Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Donny van de Beek, Jadon Sancho, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw.
"There has been no consistency, strategy behind the recruitment," said Gary Neville in 2018. "You have three or four different managers and different styles of managers' players in the same squad, where the club should always sign players that fits their profile.
"And then if the manager leaves, you will always have players who believe in the club system. And at the moment, I do not see that, you have a collection of different players from different managers who believe in different things."
