Ten Hag faces DELAY in Man Utd transfer – and it’s not the Glazers fault!

Robin Bairner

• 7 Jun 2023 08:16 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag faces frustration in his attempts to sign Napoli defender Kim Min-jae promptly.

The centre-back has been billed as the “best in the world” in his position in Italy and it is widely acknowledged that he will be on his way to Old Trafford in the summer, with Man Utd ready to step in and pay the player’s €50 million release clause, which is only active for a couple of weeks in July.

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Ten Hag, though, might have wished to conclude a deal more quickly that would have seen Kim arrive at Old Trafford in time for the beginning of pre-season training on 27 June. The former Ajax boss has made it clear that he wants his new signings at the club as rapidly as possible – and ideally in time for these vital summer training sessions.

While his efforts in the transfer window have been frustrated by club owners the Glazer brothers dallying over a takeover, in the case of Kim, he faces a rather more unusual problem.

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Kim Min-jae’s Man Utd deal held up

Il Mattino reports that Kim is already preparing to move to Man Utd but that he will not be able to join the squad immediately. Instead, he will be back in South Korea undergoing military training, which is part of the law in his homeland. He must complete 21 months of national service by the time he turns 28 by law.

As such, his transfer to the Premier League giants is set to be delayed.

Kim, though, will only undergo a few weeks of training given that he has earned an exception after helping South Korea to win gold at the 2018 Asian Games. This means he needs just a few weeks of basic training.

Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min was in the same squad and completed his training in 2020, having also been given an exemption.

Kim, meanwhile, is expected to miss the upcoming internationals to go South Korea to train, then take a short break before joining up with the Man Utd squad.