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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay

Manchester United's £225.4million gamble is paying off under Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag is owed a few apologies. His appointment always represented somewhat of a gamble, given his prior top-level success was limited to Dutch football. Now it is looking like a risk that will pay off.

Manchester United have a clear identity in the way they want to play, a fresh determination to battle until the end and are showing signs of swagger as they continue to adapt to their new approach.

The key to that has been the players Ten Hag signed in the summer. The United manager ran the risk of ridicule by putting so much trust in personnel he knew so well from Dutch football; such was his belief that he, and a string of players, could make the tricky transition to the Premier League.

READ NEXT: Ten Hag is about to have his real acid test

Against Chelsea on Saturday night, Ten Hag's summer signings took centre stage yet again. Four of the six players he signed started at Stamford Bridge, and all of them had a significant impact on the overall performance.

Lisandro Martinez put in another strong defensive performance and would have had a clean sheet to show for it if Scott McTominay hadn't conceded a late penalty.

The Argentine centre-back has been excellent since he arrived, though his promising partnership with Raphael Varane will be put on hold following the Frenchman's latest injury setback.

Christian Eriksen returned to the starting line-up and once again impressed, his calmness and composure crucial to United's early dominance. The Dane has been a revelation under Ten Hag and is already viewed as indispensable to the way they play.

It was also another promising display from the lively Antony on the right wing. Although he has failed to deliver well-rounded performances since joining, he has still shown more than enough to suggest a promising future and allay any immediate worries.

Then there is Casemiro. He might not have been Ten Hag's first choice in the summer, but he's priceless to the squad now. Even without his dramatic equaliser, he was the best player on the pitch on Saturday and is the defensive anchor the team has been crying out for over the last few years.

Ten Hag now has a lot of credit in the bank because of his transfer success rate, which is far above the 70 per cent target set by former executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward years ago.

The Dutchman has already been informed he won't have as much financial backing as he did this past summer, with United investing a record £225.4million across a single window in his rebuild, such was the magnitude of the task at hand.

However, that doesn't mean they can't back him at all. United know they must sign a new striker next year, as well as a right-back and quite possibly a new goalkeeper as well. There is also a case to be made that they might need a second creative midfielder to lessen their reliance on Eriksen, although that isn't nearly as urgent.

Once again, it highlights the need for patience given the huge rebuilding job at hand. Ten Hag still wants to make additions to his starting line-up until he is completely satisfied with it, and his recent hesitation to use every available substitute also highlights his worries about the calibre of options on the bench.

It is true that there has to be a stricter limit on how much money they spend next year, but given his impressive track record this past summer, Ten Hag certainly has a compelling argument to get what he asks for.

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