Manchester United’s January transfer window starts now!
Robin Bairner
- 16 Sep 2022 06:55 CDT
- 3 min read
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will use the international break as an opportunity to plan his transfer moves in January and beyond, with Red Bull Salzburg forward Benjamin Sesko liable to be one of the players of interest.
After a rocky star with the Old Trafford club, Ten Hag appears to have got the team on the right lines, despite failing to land his major target during the summer transfer window.
Frenkie de Jong of Barcelona was the player that he really wanted, while it took a last-ditch big bid to secure Antony from Ajax.
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Time constraints were against him during the summer, as he was only new in the job, and he has already revealed that plans will soon be afoot for January and beyond, with this rare respite in the season giving him a chance to plot out a long-term strategy.
Speaking to MUTV, he said: “We have many meetings, we have to improve the structures in and around the club. We will do.
“We will also look to the window in January or next summer already and also to improve our way of playing by making plans.”
How much will Ten Hag have to spend?
It is thought that Manchester United will have a transfer budget of around £70 million for the January transfer window.
United showed during the summer, though, that they are willing to give the coach more leeway if required. They had not planned such a lavish spend in August but gave him the capacity to do so when it became apparent it was necessary.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag will have several areas he will wish to strengthen.
Doubtless, De Jong will remain on the radar but Scott McTominay’s strong start to the campaign means that a central midfielder is perhaps less of a priority than it was during the summer transfer market.
Right-back is liable to be the area the manager most heavily prioritises, but he will also be out for a centre forward, particularly if Cristiano Ronaldo is still pushing to depart. Sesko, who was linked to the club in the summer, is liable to be part of the discussion.
With a healthy transfer kitty, Ten Hag can hope to add at least two high-class players to his squad in January.
Read more about: Premier League, Man Utd
