Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag “isn’t as happy as he could be” due to the club’s failure to land more of his transfer targets, according to reports. The Red Devils have brought in Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez so far this summer. And they are also considering offers for Frenkie de Jong and Benjamin Sesko, from Barcelona and Red Bull Salzburg respectively.
Ralf Rangnick expressed his belief towards the end of last season that Manchester United needed eight new faces to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title.
However, so far Ten Hag has only received three.
Malacia was the first to arrive, with the left-back landing from Feyenoord, while Eriksen and Martinez have since followed from Brentford and Ajax respectively.
Still The Independent say Ten Hag is far from happy with United’s board, believing they should have hit more of his targets by now.
De Jong is one player the 52-year-old is eager to sign, having coached his fellow Dutchman at Ajax.
The pair helped Ajax win the Eredivisie title in 2019, as well as reach the Champions League semi-finals against overwhelming odds, and are believed to have formed a positive relationship during that time.
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The best football of De Jong’s career came under Ten Hag, having blown hot and cold under Xavi, Ronald Koeman, Quique Setien and Ernesto Valverde throughout his time at Barcelona.
And the United boss believes the Dutch international’s understanding of his philosophy would ‘instantly accelerate the development of the team’.
The Red Devils board spent more than three months trying to complete this deal.
Yet, despite agreeing a £63million deal with Barcelona for their prized asset, they still haven’t been able to land De Jong.
There have been claims in the Catalan media that the midfielder has adamantly no interest in reuniting with Ten Hag at Old Trafford.
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But a consistent critic within the club has claimed ‘even the old United wouldn’t spend so long chasing a player who doesn’t want to come’, with De Jong speaking to Ten Hag throughout.
As for Sesko, it’s claimed that a deal for the Red Bull Salzburg teenager isn’t as ‘complicated’ as some have made it out to be.
The Austrian said he was ‘well used to selling and normally only sets one price’.
But United aren’t going there just yet, despite the 19-year-old becoming a target amid Cristiano Ronaldo’s uncertain future.
On Ronaldo, it is stated that Ten Hag has accepted the Portugal international’s absence on his pre-season tour this summer for family reasons.
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But he is also ‘aggravated’ by the way it played out in public, with Ronaldo firmly in the spotlight amid his desire to leave.
Meanwhile, on De Jong, former United star Gary Neville has expressed his belief that the club have a lot to do over a deal for the Barcelona midfielder.
“There’s a lot going on in this De Jong deal,” the Sky Sports pundit said during a Q&A.
“Just in general. Not just for the team but for the club, the new operation, so they can get a deal down the line.
“There are three scenarios. One is that they have it, they look smart, they look patient, they look like they bided their time and got the deal they wanted.
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“Or else he stays at Barcelona. Which I think might be slightly embarrassing given the relationship the manager has with the player.
“Or the horrible outcome is that he doesn’t just leave Barcelona, he goes to Chelsea – a Premier League competitor.
“It wouldn’t be a good result for United’s recruitment department.
“I think that would cause problems in the next few weeks.
“At the moment it could be two or three weeks from Ronaldo settling in, says he’s staying, the football they’ve played in pre-season has been great, they could get De Jong down the line, all of a sudden you’ I think: oh wow, that could be United.
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