Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has stated that the club’s new leadership team is “keen” to engage in transfer activities.
Ten Hag made these remarks following United’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool in the concluding match of their three-game tour across the United States.
Harry Maguire, the central defender, was absent from the match as a precaution against injury, while Northern Ireland’s Jonny Evans had to leave the pitch at halftime due to illness.
With £52m new recruit Leny Yoro out for three months due to a foot injury and striker Rasmus Hojlund out until mid-September with a hamstring problem, attention will shift towards United’s transfer dealings ahead of the opening Premier League fixture against Fulham at Old Trafford on 16 August.
United are attempting to negotiate a transfer with Bayern Munich for Dutch international Matthijs de Ligt and are also interested in signing Moroccan full-back Noussair Mazraoui, which could facilitate Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s move to West Ham.
Ten Hag mentioned that he is aware football director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox, and new chief executive Omar Berrada are collaborating closely with the new co-owners, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos, to finalize deals.
“It’s always challenging to predict,” Ten Hag said, when asked about potential squad changes in the upcoming fortnight. “We hope for the best. We are continually looking, and this new leadership team is genuinely enthusiastic about doing business and securing deals. They are actively pursuing it.
“However, we must be patient to see if the timing and opportunities align.”
With Hojlund confirmed to be out and both Bruno Fernandes and new signing Joshua Zirkzee not scheduled to commence training with the main squad until next week after their respective European Championship duties, Ten Hag experimented with Jadon Sancho in the center-forward position during United’s last game before the Community Shield clash against Manchester City.
Ten Hag acknowledged that deploying Sancho in that position at Wembley is a more attractive option than using Marcus Rashford there.
“If Jadon weren’t a viable option, we wouldn’t have placed him there,” Ten Hag stated.
“Marcus has done it in the past and is certainly a possibility, but I believe he is more effective on the left when cutting inside.”
