Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag’s transfer plans ahead of the summer transfer window could have been affected by last weekend’s 7-0 defeat at Liverpool, journalist Steve Bates has told GIVEMESPORT.
The Old Trafford outfit had been in good form until last Sunday’s humiliating trip to Anfield.
Man Utd transfer news – Erik ten Hag
Having been appointed as Manchester United head coach last April, ten Hag has been given the backing in the transfer market to build a team in his own mould.
The Red Devils have spent over £200m on transfer fees this season, as the Dutchman looks to regain the club’s status as one of European football’s powerhouses as well as developing the side into one capable of competing for Premier League and Champions League titles.
One transfer target the club haven’t yet gotten over the line is that of Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, with Dean Jones telling GIVEMESPORT that a move to Old Trafford is a tough sell for the 25-year-old, following last weekend’s shellacking.
And Bates believes that ten Hag’s ambitions in the transfer market could now have alternated after United’s humbling on Merseyside.
What has Bates said about Man Utd?
Bates told GIVEMESPORT: “Maybe there’s a different kind of spin on that from him now. Maybe it will affect his thinking in the transfer market this summer.
“It’s such a seismic defeat that I don’t think it can be brushed away just as an aberration or a blip. It was certainly not a blip. It was an astonishing kind of collapse that may go deeper than just what we saw.”
What next for the Man Utd squad?
United’s defeat at Anfield may have thrown the future of some players into doubt at Old Trafford, with questions being raised about the ability and attitude of certain individuals.
The Red Devils’ on-field skipper Bruno Fernandes has come in for some criticism this week, with pundit Chris Sutton stating the 28-year-old should never captain the club again (via BBC Sport): “Fernandes is not their best leader. There are more suitable candidates than him, Casemiro being one. I think he should never put on the armband again for Manchester United.”
Having won 21 points from a possible 27 since the Premier League’s break for the World Cup, there is no doubt that United’s performance at Anfield will have come as a seismic shock to the system.
However, it might be the type of fixture that demonstrates to ten Hag that there is still a lot of work to be done before the Red Devils can begin to challenge for major honours regularly again.
