Man Utd players back in training but fans have every right to be worried with no new signings for Erik ten Hag
MANCHESTER UNITED are among the first Premier League clubs to return to pre-season training on Monday. And maybe that is because they have more work to do than any of their rivals. New boss Erik ten Hag is not letting the grass grow under his feet — literally — having ordered the turf to be […]
MANCHESTER UNITED are among the first Premier League clubs to return to pre-season training on Monday.
And maybe that is because they have more work to do than any of their rivals.
New boss Erik ten Hag is not letting the grass grow under his feet — literally — having ordered the turf to be trimmed at their Carrington HQ.
But the same cannot be said of those behind the scenes, with a breakthrough in the summer transfer market yet to come five weeks after last season ended.
The sight of 15 or so first-team players checking back in for the 2022-23 campaign after their holidays is unlikely to whet the appetite of disgruntled supporters.
After all, it is a team who ended the last one in a distant sixth place — minus a few notable departures.
Although they narrowly avoided the ignominy of the Europa Conference League, their 58-point total was the worst tally in 32 years.
That was 13 points off qualifying for the Champions League — their minimum target before the season — and a whopping 35 points off the top.
Not to mention the fact that the Red Devils conceded their most goals in a league season (57) since 1978-79.
New chief executive Richard Arnold admitted last season was a “f*****g nightmare” and that he “hated every minute of it”. He was not the only one.
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Ten Hag, 52, arrives with a good reputation after his work in Holland over recent years, however he is not a miracle worker.
What they desperately needed was a big signing or two to disperse some of the gloom over Old Trafford — and so far there has not been one.
The word is that Cristiano Ronaldo is growing frustrated by the lack of new faces and has concerns over what the new season may hold.
Many of the United supporters share those same feelings right now.
Big-name players such as Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic have all departed with their contracts at an end.
There will not be many tears shed over any of them. But, as yet, nobody has come in to replace them despite the club being linked with more than a hundred players.
Meanwhile, neighbours Manchester City have been busy snapping up Erling Haaland and agreeing a deal for Kalvin Phillips, too.
The fact that both have previously been targets for the Red Devils make that hard to swallow for the Old Trafford faithful.
As if that was not bad enough, the striker they wanted this summer, Darwin Nunez, has ended up at another of their rivals — Liverpool.
In fact, they now feel their transfer dealings for the summer are completed at Anfield, while United’s has yet to get going.
The signing of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is creeping closer, while the club are also hoping for a positive answer from Christian Eriksen in the coming days.
They will need a few more besides. But if Ten Hag could have both on the plane when United depart for a pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia next Friday, it would at least be a start.
De Jong, 25, will know what to expect, having worked with the new United manager during their days together at Ajax.
Maybe midfielder Donny van de Beek — back at United after his disappointing loan at Everton — will be ready, too, as he also worked with Ten Hag in Holland.
Yet the rest of the squad, including Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial, could be in for a rude awakening when they report for pre-season today.
Sources close to Ten Hag are predicting they will be spending long hours on the training pitch in the early weeks ahead.
When he took over at Ajax in 2017, his players were dismayed by the workload he put on them, even though it paid off in the long run.
He wants the players to buy into his ‘Total Football’ philosophy — similar to the one made famous by Dutch icon Johan Cruyff in the 1970s.
And he will want United to attack as a team in a fluid motion, with defending starting from the front.
Anyone who does not buy into the system could rapidly find themselves out in the cold — and heading for the exit door at Old Trafford.
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During his days in charge of Go Ahead Eagles, taskmaster Ten Hag had beds installed at the club’s training ground so players could catch a quick nap between punishing sessions.
Now he will start the job of raising United from their slumber.