Manchester United
Premier League • England
New Man Utd transfer strategy touted with players warned why they should worry about Ten Hag
Dimitar Berbatov has called for a change in what transfer strategy Man Utd deploy under Erik ten Hag, and explained why many of the current squad will be worried about his arrival.
Manchester United have chosen Ten Hag as the man they believe is most capable of overseeing a much-needed rebuild. The current Ajax boss will arrive once the season concludes and will face the biggest challenge of his career in Manchester.
Ten Hag reportedly wowed United’s chiefs during his interview with his brazen critique of their recruitment in recent years.
The club’s transfer dealings have been roundly criticised in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. Unless that is rectified starting this summer, Ten Hag will always face an uphill struggle.
Now, former United striker Dimitar Berbatov has called for a change in direction from the recruitment team.
The Bulgarian hopes to see United take a more measured approach to the market by abandoning their scattergun policy of buying big name players for what Berbatov described as “for the sake of it”.
Furthermore, the former marksman revealed why many of United’s current squad will be worried about Ten Hag’s arrival.
Most United players will fear Ten Hag rebuild – Berbatov
“I wish [Ten Hag] all the luck in the world, and I hope he makes smart choices when he rebuilds the team,” said Berbatov (as quoted by the Manchester Evening News).
“He has to bring the right players in to suit his philosophy. I hope that they can find the right players and system to bring the Premier League title back to Old Trafford.
“He has to find the right players to suit his system. If he can get that right then everything will be easier.
“Most of the players at United should be worried about a potential rebuild. This season hasn’t gone well and everybody will be asking questions about their future.
“It all depends on the new manager and he will be starting to work on who he wants to keep at the club as soon as possible.
“It’s a difficult process, and he has to make the smart choices. We have already witnessed in the past that when you buy a player for the sake of buying a player it doesn’t work out. You have to be smart in the transfer window.
“When you play, and a new manager comes in there is a lot of emotions going through you. There’s excitement, expectation, uncertainty. You may have an idea of a new manager but you never really know how things will go.
“Players who haven’t had a chance may get time to play, or maybe they will be sold. New players will come in and if that is to be the case then Ten Hag needs to know exactly which players he needs to bring in to play his way.”