Football Digest: Analysing Man Utd's failed recruitment
Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag is set to ditch his tried and trusted method in the transfer market as the Dutchman seeks a new defender to solve his injury crisis before deadline day on Friday. The Red Devils have seen their plans change dramatically after injuries to both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia left them without a recognised left-back, and Ten Hag has already lined up three targets to resolve the issue before the transfer window closes.
Reports claim that Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella is ‘very close’ to joining United after falling out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino, with the Spaniard yet to make an appearance in the Premier League this season.
The 25-year-old has been lined up in a possible loan deal only a year since his £62million transfer from Brighton. However, Cucurella’s performances have been largely disappointing and it remains to be seen whether he would fare better at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag is also understood to be considering his compatriot Sergio Reguilon, who is expected to leave Tottenham after failing to secure a permanent move to Atletico Madrid, and former Chelsea full-back Marcos Alonso, now at Barcelona.
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Ten Hag used Diogo Dalot in an unfamiliar position at left-back with Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right and neither looked particularly convincing in the first half against Nottingham Forest as United found themselves 2-0 down.
And in targeting those three players, with Brentford’s Rico Henry and free agent Ryan Bertrand also linked, it shows Ten Hag is gradually changing his ways.
The 53-year-old has often sought to bring players he has worked with to work with him at United, having spent £190m to reunite with Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Andre Onana after working with the trio at Ajax.
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It looked like he would follow suit with a move for Sofyan Amrabat, who made his name at FC Utrecht under Ten Hag’s tutelage.
But with names such as Cucurella, Alonso and Reguilon cropping up, it would appear Ten Hag is ready to ditch his usual method of signing players.
Instead, what he seems to favour now is Premier League experience over working with the player previously in their career. Amrabat’s move does not appear to have materialised and United have targeted Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as an alternative, with Ten Hag keen to bolster his ranks in the middle of the park.
He was particularly concerned about the lack of running in his team, attacking the desire of his players to track back after losing the ball. It’s safe to say that Hojbjerg would not have that problem given his impressive work rate on the pitch, and his omission from Spurs’ starting lineup is something of a mystery.
There is little doubt that Ten Hag would be satisfied with the club’s haul of six points from three games after playing nowhere near their best level against Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
With an experienced left-back and combative midfielder, it could go some way to fixing the issues within his squad with only four days to go until the end of the transfer window.
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