Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has identified a striker as his top target for the upcoming summer transfer window. Despite expressing initial confidence in his current options, Ten Hag acknowledges a lack of goals and the need for reinforcements.
United currently sit among the Premier League’s bottom scorers in the top 10 with just 45 goals in 31 games. This comes despite the hefty £72 million summer signing of Danish forward Rasmus Hojlund, who leads the team with 13 goals. The underperformance extends to other attacking options, with Marcus Rashford at eight goals and Anthony Martial sidelined with injury and a meager two goals in 19 appearances.
“In this plan we constructed we should have had enough goals,” admitted Ten Hag. He pointed to Rashford’s 30-goal prior season and Martial’s early contributions under him, suggesting a drop in form rather than a fundamental lack of talent.
Ten Hag emphasizes the need for depth across all positions, stating, “You need more options. You need double positioning in every position.” He highlighted the striker and left-back positions as areas where a lack of strong competition impacted results.
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The upcoming transfer window will see Ten Hag operating under a new ownership structure at United. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s recent acquisition of a minority stake has led to a significant reshuffle in the club’s hierarchy. Ten Hag, however, remains confident in his past transfer dealings, citing successful acquisitions like Andre Onana and Lisandro Martinez.
While expressing openness to collaboration with the new leadership, Ten Hag remains firm on his vision. “We have a way we want to play, so we know our profiles, so it has to match the profiles we want,” he declared. This suggests potential clashes if proposed signings don’t align with Ten Hag’s philosophy.
With seven Premier League matches remaining, Manchester United’s final position and Ten Hag’s long-term future at the club will likely influence the summer transfer strategy.
