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What Man Utd owners the Glazers have told Erik ten Hag behind the scenes in takeover twist
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag answers to the Glazers at Old Trafford.
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Manchester United owners the Glazers have assured Erik ten Hag he will be given big transfer backing this summer regardless of who owns the club, according to reports. The Americans are open to leaving Old Trafford after 18 controversial years. However, there’s still a possibility they’ll end up staying despite interest from the likes of Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The Glazers, despite their notorious reputation, have given Ten Hag plenty of transfer backing since the 53-year-old arrived at United back in the summer.
Six players arrived back in the summer, including big buys such as Antony, Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez.
And they then allowed United to seal three loan deals in January, adding to the wage bill at Old Trafford in the process.
According to The Sun, Ten Hag has now been assured he’ll be given more transfer backing regardless of who is in charge.
And that will be music to the Dutchman’s ears as he looks to steer the team to Premier League title glory next season.
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United do have some big names on their radar as they prepare for the future, with midfield an area in need of strengthening.
There’s an expectancy the likes of Donny van de Beek and Scott McTominay will be moved on at the end of the campaign.
United remain admirers of Frenkie de Jong, despite the Barcelona star regularly making it clear how happy he is over at the Nou Camp.
It’s a similar story with Jude Bellingham, too, with the 19-year-old previously rejecting the club’s advances when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ruled the roost.
United also intend on landing a new striker as well.
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Anthony Martial is likely to go, with the France international struggling with injuries so far this season.
Wout Weghorst’s future is up in the air as well, though Ten Hag has signalled he’s open to keeping hold of the Netherlands forward regardless of his lack of goalscoring prowess.
United are admirers of Harry Kane and, with Tottenham enduring another difficult season, are hoping he can be persuaded into making a move.
Victor Osimhen is highly rated at the club, with the Napoli striker in the form of his life over in Serie A.
And Goncalo Ramos and Mohammed Kudus, of Benfica and Ajax respectively, are also in United’s sights.
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Ten Hag has made it clear, however, that money isn’t the biggest factor when it comes to building a successful team.
Speaking ahead of his side’s Premier League clash with Newcastle on Sunday, he said: “Money is one thing, but another thing is strategy.
“When I was at Ajax we had a low budget in comparison to many clubs in the Champions League and still we won the groups, got to the semi-final and were close to the final.
“So it is possible to beat teams with higher budgets.
“From my analysis, we are going in the right direction. I think we are building a base this season but we have to progress.
“You can do that by developing the team. You have to play better in every game and in every training session so you can develop your way of playing - and that's what we are doing.
“We are setting higher demands and standards for our players every time and for the rest in the summer we will see.
“Just now, that's not our focus point. Just now, it's about a better way of playing so we have a better chance of winning games.”