The double signing of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui takes Manchester United up to 30 per cent for incoming players with an Erik ten Hag link since the Dutchman took charge of the club.
Six out of 20. A fair chunk, and a percentage that only rises when discounting loan spells, with five of United’s 14 permanent signings (36 per cent) since 2022-23 a former Ten Hag player back at Ajax.
Throw in four more of those transfers – three permanent, one loan – having a Dutch connection, and you have half of United’s recruitment being linked to Ten Hag and/or the Netherlands.
And wait, there’s more, with United also going double Dutch when recently appointing Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy as assistant managers. They join a backroom team which, until he recently quit for the Jamaica job, also featured Steve McClaren, or “Schteve”, for those fond of his FC Twente spell and that short-lived accent.
This fresh, Dutch-influenced influx is all the more surprising given Ten Hag was supposed to have lost his influence around transfers.
After signing a new contract, i reported in June that Ten Hag would take a back seat from transfers to focus on coaching, with new technical director Jason Wilcox and director of football negotiations Matt Hargreaves leading the club’s recruitment drive under the watch of sporting director Dan Ashworth.
To have landed on two former Ten Hag players in De Ligt and Mazraoui, though, does not feel like mere coincidence, meaning the head coach may still wield more power in this regard than the club would like us to think.
Ten Hag’s recommendations have, after all, produced mixed results. There was also a pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, who never signed, but United will hope the manager’s connection with their two new signings pays dividends. De Ligt, in particular, has been effusive in his praise of his boss.
“Erik ten Hag shaped the early stages of my career so he knows how to get the best out of me and I cannot wait to work with him again,” De Ligt said.
Together with Mazraoui, he will be out to shift the dialogue away from Ten Hag’s input having a negative effect – an outlook that is arguably skewed by just one signing, anyway.
Antony
With five goals and three assists from 54 Premier League appearances at United, Antony is the predominant reason why supporters have questioned Ten Hag’s eye for talent.
Antony had scored 12 goals in his final full season at Ajax, but after joining Ten Hag in the move to Manchester in 2022, the £82m spent has gone down as one of United’s worst-ever deals – a seemingly non-existent return where lowlights have included a pointless spin, and a raised eyebrow when coming off the bench. 1/10
Lisandro Martinez
Antony’s struggles somewhat cloud the relatively successful acquisition that is Lisandro Martinez, who also signed for United the summer Ten Hag joined.
When fit, Martinez has lifted United, improving their defensive record and consequently their results, but injuries really have been an issue. The Argentine has only been able to make 38 league appearances across two seasons. 7/10
Andre Onana
Andre Onana appears to have made his way through the storm, which was most tempestuous last season when two mistakes against Galatasaray wrecked their Champion League prospects.
Ten Hag repeatedly backed the former Ajax goalkeeper, however, and the Cameroonian returned that showing of faith with improved performances, going on to keep nine Premier League clean sheets – joint-fifth for 2023-24 – and making more saves (149) than any other stopper last season. Which in turn highlights United’s defensive frailties, an issue they hope both De Ligt and Mazraoui can address. 6/10
Sofyan Amrabat
Not Ajax alumni but the midfielder spent two seasons playing under Ten Hag at Utrecht, where the Moroccan came up through the academy.
Amrabat’s loan spell at United last season was patchy and laden with substitute appearances, with 10 starts to 11 matches where he was brought on in the Premier League, while it basically took Ten Hag all season to realise there was some value in a Kobbie Mainoo and Amrabat double pivot.
That partnership was crucial in thwarting Manchester City in the FA Cup final. 5/10
Every Manchester United signing under Erik ten Hag
Dutch/Ten Hag connection in bold
2024-25
- Leny Yoro
- Matthijs de Ligt – played under ETH at Ajax
- Joshua Zirkzee – Dutch
- Noussair Mazraoui – played under ETH at Ajax
2023-24
- Rasmus Hojlund
- Mason Mount
- Andre Onana – played under ETH at Ajax
- Sofyan Amrabat – played under ETH at FC Utrecht (loan)
- Altay Bayındır
- Jonny Evans
- Sergio Reguilon (loan)
2022-23
- Antony – played under ETH at Ajax
- Casemiro
- Lisandro MartÃnez – played under ETH at Ajax
- Tyrell Malacia – Dutch
- Wout Weghorst – Dutch (loan)
- Martin Dubravka (loan)
- Christian Eriksen – used to play for Ajax
- Marcel Sabitzer (loan)
- Jack Butland (loan)
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/Q0KD3po
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