Why Are Manchester United Targeting So Many Of Erik Ten Hag’s Former Players?

The need for change at Manchester United has been clear for a long time and the hope, from the club’s perspective, was that it would take place in 2022. In many ways, it already has. Erik ten Hag has been hired as United’s new manager while Richard Arnold is still getting his feet under the desk as the new CEO at Old Trafford.

Reports of new scouting and recruitment staffing hires were also circulated as Manchester United looked to change tact following a decade of disappointment on the pitch. Fans and experts told United they needed to implement a more modern approach to catch the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Yet for all these changes in personnel, United are seemingly making the same old mistakes this summer. What does it say about the club’s new approach that they are targeting so many of ten Hag’s former players? Is this really evidence of a modern, data-driven method in the transfer market?

It’s not that Manchester United are necessarily targeting bad players, or even the wrong players. There’s solid logic to support the notion that Frenkie de Jong is exactly the sort of player ten Hag needs to get the most out of his midfield. Tyrell Malacia will give United good depth at left back while Lisandro Martinez could offer ability on the ball at the back. Anthony’s potential is also clear to anyone who has watched him for Ajax.

However, a modern scouting and recruitment department must operate with some degree of autonomy from the manager. It is up to the sporting director, in conjunction with the board, to determine the identity of a club to ensure no managerial whiplash is suffered when the identity of the man in the dugout changes.

Ten Hag is a demanding coach and so it’s understandable that he has sought a say in Manchester United’s transfer strategy, but the club should be the one providing the parameters, not the manager. Even the players United have targeted that didn’t play under ten Hag were admired by him during his time in the Eredivisie (Malacia).

The best scouting and recruitment departments are able to see the big picture, and sometimes even overrule the manager. Jurgen Klopp, for instance, once admitted that Mohamed Salah wasn’t his first choice to fill the position on the right side of Liverpool’s attack. However, the Anfield club had data that said Salah would be the best addition.

It might be the case that Manchester United build out their scouting and recruitment department over time. They could argue that they are leaning on ten Hag for transfer market recommendations purely to allow the Dutch coach to put his own stamp on the team as quickly as possible.

If, however, ten Hag struggles as many have before him in the Manchester United job, the Old Trafford club might have consigned themselves to repeating the same cycle all over again. This summer was meant to herald a new age for United, but the more things change the more they look the same.