Man Utd must ask 'serious questions' of Ten Hag after massive transfer oversight
Tom Weber
- Updated: 3 Nov 2023 09:55 GMT
- 3 min read
Paul Merson believes that Erik ten Hag made a major mistake by overlooking his compatriot Micky van de Ven as a potential transfer target.
The Dutchman was snapped up by Tottenham in the summer and has been earning rave reviews since the switch. A standout performer for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga last term, Van de Ven has been on a steep upward trajectory in recent times and he has taken to life in the Premier League like a fish to water.
One of the fastest players in Europe - despite being a centre-back - Van de Ven's athleticism serves him well in coping with the rapid pace of the Premier League and he has formed a solid partnership with Cristian Romero at the heart of Ange Postecoglou's table-topping defence.
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What's more, the Dutchman is still only 22, so the €40 million Spurs shelled out on him are already looking like a bargain - and Paul Merson thinks that questions must be asked of Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag for not moving for his compatriot in the summer.
What did Merson say?
The Red Devils' defence has given Ten Hag major headaches. Raphael Varane's inability to stay fit, paired with Lisandro Martinez's long-term injury, has forced the Dutchman to rely on Victor Lindelof, 35-year-old Johnny Evans and Harry Maguire, whom he wanted to offload in the summer.
"I would be asking questions if I owned the club," Merson said on Sky Sports, "I would be sitting there now and I would be going to you as the manager, 'Why didn’t we get the lad at Tottenham? He’s Dutch. You are Dutch. You know the league. You know the players. Why is he at Tottenham and he isn’t here? And we haven’t got a centre-half.'”
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"No disrespect to Evans. But you are playing a 30-odd-year-old next to Maguire. Varane can’t get fit. Lindelof, I don’t think is a real centre-half, if I am being totally honest. I wouldn’t mind him marking me."
"Then you are looking at this player [Van de Ven] who is one of the best centre-halves in the league at the moment. And he isn’t playing for Man United. He wasn’t £80-90 million. Serious questions."
