Erik Ten Hag & Manchester United's Next Transfer Priority Has Been Revealed

In what is becoming a jam-packed first summer transfer window under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United will look to explore the market for a striker as their next priority once Christian Eriksen and Frenkie de Jong have officially arrived at the club.

As the Red Devils continue their long, rather drawn out negotiations with Barcelona for De Jong, it seems as though Denmark international and former Spurs playmaker Eriksen is at a more confirmed stage or has at least verbally agreed to join the Manchester club next season.

According to Samuel Luckhurst at Manchester Evening News, the club have changed direction in terms of their original transfer plan mainly because of Cristiano Ronaldo’s recent communication that he wants to leave this summer. 

The hunt for a striker makes total sense with United only being able to field Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial or possible youth prospects as options if Ronaldo was to leave.

There is much conjecture and murmurings around the fact the Portuguese international hasn’t reported for training all week citing ‘family reasons’ and is also not on the plane for United’s pre-season tour to Bangkok.

With Edinson Cavani also having left the club with his contract expired, United were short on numbers anyways but the Ronaldo situation has accelerated United’s need for a frontman.

It would be rather unsurprising to see Bruno Fernandes in a false nine role next season leading the line with Donny van de Beek or Christian Eriksen behind in the number ten role.

Brian Brobbey has emerged as an option for the Red Devils, with Ten Hag keen on the striker he managed last season.

United are also looking to bolster options in the back-line with Ten Hag wanting a right-back and another centre-back with reports emerging that United had put in a fresh bid for Ajax player Lisandro Martinez just this week.

The club will also look to outgoings as a means of an income to further trim the squad and be able to bring players in that will satisfy the new managers needs.

The article by Luckhurst states that defenders Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe could possibly make way for fresh recruitments as well as full-backs Brandon Williams and Alex Telles.

Ronaldo may have left the club high and dry and in somewhat of a bind by expressing his desire to leave so late in the transfer market with the first Premier League game a mere four weeks away.

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Not only that but Ten Hag only has one summer signing to take and put into practice on the pre-season tour in terms of how he wants his team to play.

With the business of a delayed Euros tournament last summer and a COVID-affected season just before that this is the first time Manchester United players have managed to have a proper pre-season and become accustomed to the way a manager wants them to play.

However, Ten Hag wants new signings that are not yet over the line and now must deal with an extra-headache of a wantaway, ageing super star and replacing him, whilst in turn possibly selling three or four players to bankroll the moves. 

This is an extremely busy window and was always going to be with a new manager at the helm and many players having the knowledge that they were leaving once their contract expired.

Manchester United

The need for a new forward though has shot up on John Murtough’s to-do list and he must now roll with the punches and abandon his original transfer plan.

The devoid of Champions League football and it’s monetary impact on the wages of the players may have irritated Ronaldo to try and find a new club, but the timing is extremely unfortunate and adds to a list of worries in a laundry list of issues to solve this summer.