£50m Star 'Open' to Man Utd Move and INEOS Really Want him (2024)

Erik ten Hag was supposed to be a dead man walking, yet Manchester United are set to hand him a new contract and will quickly get to work on making sure he has an improved squad for next season. After plans around an end-of-season review dragged on, and other managers were spoken to about the possibility of succeeding him, pressure has been growing for the club to make a decision.

Fans were becoming restless but now have some comfort in knowing that plans can begin to take shape more clearly for next season, after it became clear on Tuesday night that he will remain as boss. Failure to clarify Ten Hag’s position - or to make an early breakthrough in the transfer market - would likely have seen the tension around Old Trafford escalate further in the coming days and weeks.

Ten Hag was Frustrated in Recent Days

The Dutchman will now meticulously plan United's pre-season

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Talks with other managers, including Thomas Tuchel and Kieran McKenna, are evidence that Ten Hag’s job really was in danger yet now his contract, which was due to expire in a year, must be extended to give him security as he leads the team into next season.

The Tuchel situation seemed particularly strange, since well-informed sources had indicated previously that his profile was not suitable for the job at hand. It has since been reported in some outlets that Tuchel turned down United yet, given he had been so keen to speak to United and briefings made it clear he had wanted the job, that seems hard to believe. One thing United would have difficulty with thought is persuading any experienced manager to work within the parameters they are setting, which is more of a head coach role and similar to the job Enzo Maresca has taken up at Chelsea.

Ten Hag already knows the vision and will have to adapt - but sources say he had become frustrated in recent days with the lack of clarity around his future and needed to understand if he was staying. United are working on ways to elevate the squad and also needed to clear up the managerial situation to help with clarifying plans for new signings and having them on board for pre-season.

That is where Ten Hag’s attention will now turn, as he is a meticulous planner who will want to make up for any lost time. United's squad reconvene in a month and then head to California in six weeks for friendly matches against Arsenal in Los Angeles and Real Betis in San Diego. The ideal plan is for new faces to familiarise themselves with the squad, ahead of one further match against Liverpool in Columbia, before they fully focus on a new Premier League season.

United's Plans to Focus on Defence With Transfer Plans

Jarrad Branthwaite is a key target at the right price

Priority remains centred around a new centre-back. Jarrad Branthwaite is understood to be open to joining but United are in a position where they do not intend to cave in over Everton's demands. There have been reports that United would not move forward with any transfer plans until the managerial situation is sorted out but that did not fit with information GMS sources have declared, stating certain transfer targets are being lined up and are considered to be manager-proof. The club are not signing players specifically to fit with a manager’s particular style of play but to fit with a club philosophy that will be in place for years to follow.

Branthwaite is believed to be one of those signings but many other long-term targets are too. Either way, they will be playing under Ten Hag at the start of the new season. United cannot let the Branthwaite situation drag on too long but there remains hope they can strike a deal. The reality around it though is it will remain a tough negotiation, because Everton are remaining stubborn over his valuation and Manchester United’s current stance of being willing to offer £45-50million does not suit the Toffees.

We have been consistent in reporting on GMS that Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice remains a top-level candidate to be targeted for a more straight forward transfer if the Branthwaite deal does not find a breakthrough. Leny Yoro is also back on the table for a transfer from Lille after an expected move to Real Madrid failed to emerge. It is a complicated situation and various agents are in touch with the club about other back-up alternatives too.

United are Keen on Joshua Zirkzee

Doubts remain on how the Bologna forward would fit in

Beyond the back line urgency, United need to sign a forward to compliment Rasmus Hojlund - and Joshua Zirkzee is being linked. While United have held interest in him and he has been offered to the club, there is a problem in terms of the player fitting into the side. Zirkzee, 23, is coming off the back of a brilliant season at Bologna and wants to step up to become a more established forward by joining a club with a higher profile.

AC Milan want him as their main frontman and Juventus have shown some interest too, but the player has been touted around England and last week we revealed his representatives had told United, Chelsea and Arsenal that they had to make a quick decision if they wanted to sign him - as he was on the verge of a transfer inside Serie A.

United are keen but have a long-standing plan for Hojlund to be developed into one of the Premier League’s top goalscorers and it is unclear how Zirkzee would be able to meet his own incentives and ambitions if he is competing with a player who is seen as so pivotal to the club’s future. Zirkzee is a different type of forward to Hojlund and would certainly improve United’s squad strength and depth - and United need to convince him he will not be a bench player. Also to be taken into consideration is the potential signing of Michael Olise, the Crystal Palace attacker who is also wanted by Chelsea.

United have reinforcements to be made in the middle of the park as well, but it is unclear exactly when those specific targets will be defined. The club have been working on various plans but a key objective is to offload Casemiro and find Kobbie Mainoo a new partner. Ten Hag’s situation is finally being sorted and now United can turn more attention to fixing their team. Behind the scenes, they are at work to ensure the process becomes more smooth than the recent managerial search.

All statistics per WhoScored - correct as of 12-06-2024