Arne Slot urged to avoid big Ten Hag mistake at Liverpool as Man Utd sent £78m warning

Arne Slot has been told he must not follow Erik ten Hag’s lead by signing too many Dutch players and coaches for Liverpool, while Manchester United have been issued a £78million transfer warning.

Ten Hag has encouraged Man Utd to make more changes to his setup this summer after the Red Devils decided to extend his contract until June 2026. Dutch duo Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake have joined Ten Hag’s coaching staff, replacing Mitchell van der Gaag and Benni McCarthy.

Van Nistelrooy is a particularly exciting capture by the club, as he is loved by the fans after his spell at Old Trafford as a player between 2001 and 2006.

Van Nistelrooy could help Man Utd sign some top Eredivisie stars, having worked at PSV between 2020 and 2023, while also helping the club’s strikers to become more deadly in front of goal.

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Man Utd are also poised to bolster the Dutch contingent of their squad after landing Joshua Zirkzee and with Matthijs de Ligt also on their radar.

Ten Hag’s side have fought off competition from AC Milan to win the race for Zirkzee. The centre-forward has a £34million release clause in his Bologna contract, but Man Utd have instead agreed a £36.5m deal for him which will allow them to spread out the payment instalments more favourably.

Man Utd remain in discussions with Bayern Munich over De Ligt’s potential signing, too. They have agreed personal terms with the centre-back but are yet to match Bayern’s £42m price tag.

While Zirkzee and De Ligt will likely be great signings for Man Utd, some in the Dutch media are concerned about how Ten Hag is shaping the club.

Liverpool latest: Slot sent Man Utd warning

Indeed, footballer-turned-pundit Bram van Polen has urged Slot not to go down the same path at Liverpool, with Man Utd being warned about £78m duo Zirkzee and De Ligt and the growing Dutch group.

“It is dangerous that Ten Hag gathers so many Dutch people around him. You don’t know whether that is wise,” he said.

“You’re a bit afraid of that. Then you think: here we go again. Because he brings in all those Dutch people, we will also be less good abroad.

“I think that Slot is very conscious about not recruiting all Dutch people at once. You do create a certain image, and you should partly want to stay away from that.”

It must be noted that Slot does have some compatriots at Liverpool, including coach Sipke Hulshoff as well as players Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch.

Liverpool have been linked with signing some of Slot’s best players from Feyenoord too, such as Mats Wieffer, Quinten Timber and Lutsharel Geertruida.

But Liverpool have allowed Wieffer to sign for Brighton instead and do not appear to be prioritising moves for Timber and Geertruida at this stage.

Instead, Slot would rather sign players such as Dani Olmo, Joao Neves and Atalanta’s Ederson.

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