Manchester United urged to avoid red flag transfer that Erik ten Hag would approve

Manchester United have been urged to avoid a summer transfer that Erik ten Hag would certainly approve if he had the chance.

Manchester United are looking to reinforce their defence in the coming months by signing multiple centre-backs this summer after a tough season under Erik ten Hag. Jarrad Branthwaite has previously been identified as a key target.

In the last campaign, the club finished eighth in the Premier League and exited the Champions League before Christmas. They conceded over eighty goals across all competitions and were forced to frequently change their defensive lineup due to injuries, resulting in more than 30 different combinations in 52 matches during the 2023/24 season.

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INEOS are currently evaluating potential signings for the 2024 summer transfer window. Earlier reports indicated that United and Branthwaite have already agreed on personal terms, and they submitted a bid totalling £43 million that was siwftly rejected.

Everton are now confident that they will be able to keep Braithwaite this summer, and as a consequence, United have moved on to assessing other targets, one of which is Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt.

De Ligt, 24, has spent the last two seasons in Bavaria and was at Juventus for three seasons prior to his Bundesliga move, and former United striker Andy Cole believes this is something that must be questioned and is a potential red flag.

 “I like him, but the thing I don’t understand about him is: why is he always moving?” Cole questioned while speaking with BetFred. That’s what I don’t get.

“He did three years at Juventus and about two years at Bayern, so what I’m now thinking is if he is such a good player, why would the club want to sell him?

“I think he’s a good player, but you’ve got to start questioning why everyone keeps selling him. He’s only 24 years old, so I’d like to think that his best years are still in front of him, so it’s an interesting one. I wouldn’t say that Bayern Munich needs the money, but let’s see if it happens.”

Despite Cole’s words, De Ligt would be a transfer that Erik ten Hag would certainly approve of.

The job that put Ten Hag on the map as a manager was his brilliant work at Ajax, and before he left, De Ligt was his captain. At just 19 years of age, De Ligt excited many with his commanding performances in both the Champions League and Eridivise that earned his transfer to Juventus.

However, his career has somewhat stagnated, and he has been routinely linked with United ever since. With the club looking for a right-footed centre-back to replace Varane, De Ligt might finally move to Old Trafford five years after he was initially linked to the club.

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