Erik ten Hag won’t be able to fix Man United’s biggest problem

Robert Redmond

Ten Hag will be the next to fail unless the club helps him rebuild the squad

Erik ten Hag is set to be confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager this week, and it should act as a rare boost for the beleaguered club.

However, the highly-rated Dutch coach won’t be able to fix the club’s biggest problem in recent years – their inability to operate effectively in the transfer market.

Unless Man United suddenly learn how to reshape their squad, clear out dead wood and become a coherent operation, Ten Hag will surely suffer the same fate as his predecessors at Old Trafford.

Man United’s ‘assurances’ not worth anything to Ten Hag

Ten Hag will unlikely be able to rebuild the squad to the level required as Man United have proven incapable of selling unwanted players. They can promise to reshape the squad in his vision, but such a promise appears meaningless. The Dutchman just needs to look at their record in the market.

Man United’s net spend on transfers since 2012 is almost £900m. Liverpool’s net spend has been £294m. Man United have been unable to sell many of their unwanted players. Liverpool have built a world-class squad funded by the sale of fringe players. Chelsea, meanwhile, have received £1b in transfer fees since the 2011/12 season. (All statistics via Transfermarkt).

Yet, we don’t even have to compare Man United to Liverpool or Chelsea for their failures to be emphasised. Since the 2013/14 season, Man United have recouped £394.8m in transfer fees. Everton are not exactly considered to be the best-run club in the division, but even the Toffees have been better at selling players in this period, receiving £404.9m in transfer fees.

Since the 2011/12 season, no team who have competed in the Premier League have had fewer player exits than Man United (174).

Man United’s transfer failings

How is this possible? How can Man United, with a squad full of world-famous players, struggle to sell them? Daniel James, bought for £15m in 2019 and sold for £25m two years later, is one of the only players signed in the post-Alex Ferguson era that United have made a profit on. Daley Blind, signed in 2015 for £13.8m and sold for £18.1m four years later, is another.

The Red Devils have been unable to perform one of the key functions of a football club – selling unwanted players. This, coupled with a poor record in buying players, is a disastrous combination.

How after their worst season since the 1970s will Man United now be able to sell unwanted players? What evidence can they offer to convince Ten Hag that they are a coherent and proactive operation? How is this low-IQ football club going to suddenly generate transfer fees for underperforming players?

Unless the Glazers are prepared to write most of their current squad, he will have to work with the players already at the club.

Man United’s failures mean Ten Hag doesn’t stand a chance

The Dutchman also wants to build a hard-pressing team featuring young players. Where does 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo fit into that plan? Man United recently extended Bruno Fernandes’ contract until 2026. But does he suit Ten Hag’s style of play? Is he prepared to press much as he complains?

And what about Anthony Martial? The French forward has endured an unsuccessful loan spell with Sevilla and will return to Old Trafford in the summer. There won’t be many clubs interested in signing him on a permanent deal, and he is under contract until 2024.

Is Marcus Rashford committed to playing the pressing football that Ten Hag wants? His statistics suggest not. And then there is Harry Maguire. Unfortunately for United, Ten Hag is not a miracle worker.

If Man United cannot reshape their squad, and the current players are not fit for purpose, the 52-year-old will be set up to fail.

Man United’s outdated football structure

If Ten Hag could bring Edwin van der Sar, Ajax’s CEO, and an elite director of football with him to Old Trafford, then the move would make sense. If Man United were to copy the structures at Ajax and Manchester City, he would have a chance to be successful.

Man City did not have world-class football expertise, so they imported it from Barcelona. Ferran Soriano is the club’s CEO and Txiki Begiristain is their director of football. The pair worked together at Barca with Pep Guardiola, who became City’s head coach in 2016.

Ten Hag would be a logical appointment within a similar structure. But, in Man United’s current guise, the Dutch coach may not stand a chance.

Rangnick tells BT: “I don’t think that manager talk should be an excuse to anybody. We are Man United, we should not be distracted by that”. 🔴 #MUFC

“There will be a new manager and if that is being announced now or in 10, 14 days it should have no effect to a game like today”. pic.twitter.com/S9aYURIjLp

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 9, 2022

Man United set up for Ten Hag to fail

According to several reports, United’s search for a new manager has been undertaken by John Murtough, their ‘Football Director’ and Darren Fletcher, the former United midfielder turned ‘Technical Director’ who sits on the bench during games.

Murtough worked for the club when Ole Gunner Solskjaer was appointed manager and the club spent over £130m on Maguire and Wan-Bissaka. Fletcher may end up being a world-class ‘Technical Director’ but at this point in his career, he doesn’t appear to have any qualifications for the job beyond being a former United player.

As Roy Keane said in November, it looks like it’s ‘jobs for the boys’ at Old Trafford.

It appears to be easier for the Glazers to hire a popular former player to act as a human shield for their failures rather than appoint the best in class.

And the same could happen to Ten Hag if United do not modernise their football operation. Like David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer and Rangnick, he may end up being the fall guy for the club’s absentee owners.

Ten Hag will fall victim to the club’s biggest issue in recent years – the failure to operate as an elite football club. In turn, this stems from Man United’s actual biggest problem – their owners. And, if that doesn’t change, it is delusional to believe that anything else will at Old Trafford, no matter who the manager is.

Related links: