Incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has insisted that he has complete control over the club’s transfer dealings.
Manchester United confirmed the appointment of Erik ten Hag as their next permanent manager on Thursday after months of speculation. The likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Luis Enrique were also linked with the club’s hot seat, but the current Ajax boss was handed the managerial post.
The Dutch tactician will take over from interim boss Ralf Rangnick and at one of the darkest periods in the club’s recent history. The Red Devils have now gone five seasons without silverware since winning the UEFA Europa League in 2017. Their last Premier League title came way back in 2013, which was Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season at the helm of the club.
Manchester United have attracted criticism for not giving complete control of transfers in the hands of their managers, who then struggle to leave their imprint on the side. Inconsistent performances follow and so does the manager’s sacking, and the cycle repeats itself.
Fans are optimistic that ten Hag’s appointment is a step in the right direction, and the Dutchman’s recent comments will give them even more hope going into the next season. Ten Hag stressed that he would not have taken up the Manchester United job if he was not given complete control of the club’s transfer dealings.
Erik ten Hag tells @trouw on working with Cristiano Ronaldo and stars: “I will stay myself in that. I won't change my vision”. ? #MUFC @TheEuropeanLad
“I will tell them [big players] their task and whoever does not meet those tasks will hear that from me, no matter who it is”. pic.twitter.com/jJAYYYeHiM
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 22, 2022
“I set requirements in advance about how I want to work,” Ten Hag told Dutch outlet Trouw, before continuing, “If they aren’t granted, I won’t do it. I am ultimately responsible and accounted for the results. I don’t want to be the sole ruler, I stand for cooperation, but control in transfers is a condition for me.”
Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick gave his vote of confidence to Ten Hag. The German will take up a consultancy role after this season, vacating the manager post for the Dutchman to take up.
“I’m pretty convinced he’s the best possible coach you could get right now,” Rangnick said in a press conference on Friday. “In football you’re not always on the bright side, right now we’re on the other side. The good thing is that it’s crystal clear it’s not that difficult, you don’t even need glasses to see and analyse where the problems are.
“Now it’s only about how do we solve them? For me it’s not enough to do some minor amendments, some little issues here and there and little cosmetic things. In medicine you would say that this is an operation of the open heart. There are more things to be changed than some little things here and some minor things there.”
Also Read: Three Ajax players that Erik ten Hag should sign at Manchester United
It will be interesting to see if ten Hag gets a complete say on the transfer matters at hand at Manchester United. If so, then the Red Devils might just move in the right direction instead of getting stuck in a vicious cycle.
