Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd transfer plans hinge on takeover saga
Erik ten Hag admits he is in the dark about Manchester United’s sale process – and his summer spending power.
The Reds’ boss takes his team to Brighton on Thursday where victory will make a top-four finish and Champions League football all the more likely.
Off the field, another deadline passed last Friday for interested parties to submit offers to make an improved bid to buy the club.
Current owners, the Glazer family, have yet to reveal their response to the interest from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani from Qatar.
The Dutchman had previously refused even to comment on the controversial takeover which, originally, was supposed to have been completed by Easter.
But Ten Hag admits that while he would prefer to have the future ownership decided as soon as possible, he has no knowledge of its status – or what he will be allowed to spend this summer.
“Yeah. I think it’s clear what I want but it’s not up to me,” said Ten Hag.
“It’s about others in this club, the family are the owners, they make the decisions, it’s not up to me so I do everything I can and I influence the processes I’m in charge of.”
Those processes, clearly, do not include his participation in the greater financial picture at the club.
And Ten Hag also conceded that he is focusing on his current playing staff, with uncertainty surrounding his summer transfer plans.
“It’s the same answer, where I can take my influence I will do on the processes,” he said.
“But that is not my job or responsibility so I don’t have the power to influence that.
“So I’m focusing on improving the squad, the team development, so I have to make sure the team is progressing and I’m focusing on that.
“I don’t have influence on that, I don’t have … also I don’t know.
“The only thing I know is that Man United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, one of the biggest two or three from a fanbase perspective.
“The club has to compete for the highest in the world – Champions League, Premier League – but, in football, you need funds to construct squads because in the end of the day, the level from your players decides if you are successful or not.
“Everyone knows you need funds to construct a squad and high level players cost a lot of money and that’s the situation nowadays in top football.”
Regardless of his summer spending power, United look increasingly likely to play in Europe’s top competition next season and, while Ten Hag believes the squad is already of Champions League quality, he insists there still needs to be considerable strengthening.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “But, of course I, we, see this as a project and the project also demands that in your windows you strengthen your squad needs or to make investments so you get more balance, you bring young players in.
“I think we have already shown the improvement that we can beat the best teams in the world.
“I think we can compete in the Champions League. I think we have shown we can compete but we want to knock them all about and there is some way to go.”
Ten Hag, who has already won the EFL Cup this season, has been boosted as far as next month’s FA Cup final against Manchester City is concerned by news that injured defender Raphael Varane may have a chance of being available for that fixture.
Lisandro Martinez, however, definitely will not play again this season while midfielder Scott McTominay is also behind Varane in his bid to be fit for consideration.
