Erik ten Hag ‘reveals’ the four big-name players Man Utd failed to sign that would have changed everything – Man Utd

Erik ten Hag is said to have ‘voiced his frustration’ to Manchester United chiefs after the club missed out on signing a number of big-name players, including Harry Kane and Alexis Mac Allister.

The Dutchman was relieved of his duties on Monday morning, just hours after his side suffered a controversial 2-1 defeat against West Ham.

All things considered, the dismissal of Ten Hag came as no real surprise. A lacklustre start to the Premier League season featuring three wins from a possible nine sparked doubts.

And despite spending around £200 million on five players – Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte – in the summer window, it never quite clicked in time as United linger in 14th.

On the subject of transfers, a lengthy report from ESPN has detailed ‘why Ten Hag failed at Manchester United’ following a two-and-a-half year spell in charge.

From falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho, to players questioning his training methods as injuries continued to plague the first-team squad; there are a handful of explanations in the piece.

But perhaps the most interesting of all relates to tension over recruitment and transfer policies.

When speaking to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, it is said Ten Hag voiced his frustration about players they missed out on. Frenkie De Jong, who stayed at Barcelona, is mentioned alongside Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde.

Other players named in the report include World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, who left Brighton to join Liverpool in 2023 for £35 million, and long-term target Harry Kane.

Kane was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford last summer as United searched for a new striker but after months of speculation, the England international signed a four-year deal with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

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INEOS, meanwhile, were reportedly told by United’s recruitment team that Ten Hag’s demands when it came to transfers were ‘unrealistic’.