Erik Ten Hag Wants More New Signings At Manchester United

The Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes his squad still needs to bring in several new players for the forthcoming season.

So far United have signed three players this summer, Christian Eriksen, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez, but Ten Hag is hoping to add up to three more players.

“We signed Eriksen for the midfield department, so we are really happy with that,” Ten Hag said in a press conference on Friday as United’s pre-season tour continued in Perth, Western Australia.

“And yes, I am really happy also with our performances of our midfield department and offensive department at this moment.”

“But I also know about this season, it’s a lot of games, the World Cup, so we need more options where you have a good team, and it’s not only about the team, you need a good squad to get the right results at the end of the season.”

“So we have to strengthen the squad even more and we are looking around but we also need the right players.”

Ten Hag has been pleased with his attacking players on this tour, who have helped the team score 11 goals in their first three pre-season games. The manager was keen to praise the trio of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.

“They connect really good together. I think when you see that, you are lucky as a manager. They are a threat, the team has weapons and we need to develop that further.”

However, Ten Hag also stated that he wants “more options in offence” and will focus his search for new players on bolstering his attack. “I think it’s vital if you want to get success, the season is really long but we still also have time to fill that in.”

The return of Cristiano Ronaldo would help solve this problem, but Ten Hag could not offer a time when that would happen. “No, it’s the same as last week,” he said when asked if there was any update on the Portuguese player. “Of course, concerning is not the right word, I focus on the players that are here.”

“They are in good shape and I have further focus on that and develop that. I cannot wait for him to come in and then we will integrate [Ronaldo].”

United remain hopeful they can strengthen their attacking options with the signing of Brazilian winger Antony from Ten Hag’s former club Ajax.

United have already made enquiries for Antony, but were initially put off by the Dutch’s club’s demands, but are now more optimistic they can negotiate a lower transfer fee with them in the coming weeks.

United face Aston Villa at Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday in their fourth pre-season game, and Ten Hag has been pleased with his squad’s performances so far.

“You construct a team that’s ready for the league,” he said. “I know in the first half of the season, it’s about getting the right constructions, but you also need results. What we’ve in built in those weeks, we need a platform.”