Ten Hag responds to massive Man Utd double signing news after admitting ‘clear problem’ area

Erik ten Hag responded to talk of Manchester United being on the verge of two more new signings after watching his side lose the Community Shield on penalties on Saturday.

The Red Devils have been chasing defensive reinforcements all summer and have already brought in Leny Yoro, but the Frenchman will be sidelined with a foot injury he suffered in pre-season for three months.

That news saw United ramp up their pursuit of more defensive recruits, with Bayern Munich duo Matthijs de Light and Noussair Mazraoui close to completing moves to Old Trafford.

However, Ten Hag refused to speculate on the potential signings of the pair on Saturday but conceded his United defence still have ‘problems’ to solve after the clash with Manchester City at Wembley.

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When asked about getting into the specifics of the double deal, the Dutchman said: “No, I can’t. When we have some news, we will announce it. Until that point, we will work with the squad that is available.”

Ten Hag admitted though that his back four is still very much a work in progress, with Lisandro Martinez forced to fill in at left-back again.

He added: “It’s clear we have the problems (in defence) and we have to work.

“The players have to work to be available and the staff have to work. Together it should be a good collaboration with the players who are available.”

Despite the defeat in the shootout, Ten Hag still saw plenty of positives from a display that saw his side compete well against the reigning Premier League champions for the full 90 minutes.

“[The positives are] that we managed to be on an equal level with [Man] City,” he told ITV at full-time.

“By getting [Marcus] Rashford high on the pitch and good defending, we did that very well.

“We got pressure in the ball and also in possession, in the overloading situation in the midfield we had some very good spells, very good play-throughs and created chances from this so there are many positives we can take.”

Mazraoui a straight Wan-Bissaka replacement

Meanwhile, the addition of right-back Mazraoui in particular will likely be announced after Aaron Wan-Bissaka has completed his move to West Ham.

Wan-Bissaka previously held up the transfer amid claims he did not want to make the move and that he wanted a big pay-off from United. However, the England international’s transfer to the Hammers surged towards completion earlier on Saturday and the Red Devils are getting closer to offloading him.

The Old Trafford outfit are due to receive £15m for Wan-Bissaka, though talks over how long his West Ham contract will last for are still ongoing.

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The Irons have pencilled in a medical for the 26-year-old, who cost United £50m in 2019, for either Sunday or Monday.

Wan-Bissaka made 190 appearances for United, scoring twice, but was not first choice under Ten Hag due to his lack of creativity in the final third.