Revealed: Man Utd’s three summer transfer priorities

Robin Bairner

• 18 May 2022 14:43 BST
• 3 min read

Incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has outlined three positions in which he wants to strengthen his side.

Ten Hag will take charge of the Old Trafford club in the summer and is set to revolutionise the team.

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The Ajax head coach will have control over transfer dealings, so any players brought into the club will be done with his guidance.

According to a report from the Telegraph, there are three areas of the team that he is particularly aiming to improve.

Where Ten Hag will make his signings

The first area that the new manager wants to improve is in central defence. He wants to sign a quick centre-back and Lisandro Martinez of Ajax is being touted as a potential candidate. The Argentine, who can also play on the left side of the defence, certainly fits that mould.

Indeed, with Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire both stronger on their right foot, Martinez could offer the defence some much-needed balance.

Midfield is the other sector of the team that Ten Hag wants to strengthen. Indeed, he wants two players to strengthen his options.

Fans have been frustrated with the combination of Fred and Scott McTominay in the heart of the team this season, and with Paul Pogba departing on a free transfer, there is little doubt that this area of the Man Utd side lacks fantasy.

As FootballTransfers reported on Tuesday, Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong remains a priority, with Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic the alternative option.

Ten Hag is specifically said to want a No.6 who can build attacks, and it is the Camp Nou star who is the more obvious fit in this regard.

Similarly, Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni could be another alternative, although he is more of a No.8.

Anywhere else?

If budget dictates, Ten Hag will be on the lookout for a striker. Given that Man Utd are short in this area, this would tend to suggest Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at the club is safe.

Equally, though, it would seem to quash any suggestion that Man Utd could hold an immediate transfer interest in Ajax star Antony. Ten Hag’s priorities appear to lie in the spine of the team.