“Bad image…” Erik ten Hag has dismissed rumoured Manchester United transfer strategy

Erik ten Hag has denied a transfer strategy that fans have speculated that Manchester United have so far used under the Dutch manager.

Throughout Erik ten Hag‘s tenure at Manchester United, the club have been criticised for the number of players they have seemingly targeted in the transfer windows that are either Dutch or have a link to the Eredivisie.

During his first window as manager at Old Trafford, Ten Hag brought in Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord and Ajax duo Antony and Lisandro Martínez, with whom he managed at the Eredivisie club. In January, he also signed Dutch striker Wout Weghorst on a six-month loan deal.

Read More: Leny Yoro reveals his reaction to Rio Ferdinand’s podcast message before Manchester United transfer

This was then followed by Chelsea’s Mason Mount, who spent the 2016-18 season on loan at then-Eredivise club Vitesse, and Inter Milan’s André Onana, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax.

Once INEOS took over sporting activities at the club, including recruitment and transfers, many thought that the perceived Dutch reign of the windows would be over. However, the club then brought in former Go Ahead Eagles manager Rene Hake and legendary United and Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy as coaching staff.

INEOS also made Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee their first signing of the summer and have been pursuing a deal for former Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt.

However, Ten Hag has now addressed the media criticism for this apparent pattern, explaining that

“I know it creates a certain image; of course, I understand how that works, but eventually, our criterion will prevail above everything else – is the player good or not? Is he the right character? Does he fit the age and quality bracket we are looking for?

“I understand when you do not win, the media maligns you, and there is a bad image, but it [nationality] is irrelevant, whether he is from the Netherlands, Sweden, or France. It is just like the colour of hair the player has. It does not matter what the outside world thinks.

“We make decisions together, and we jointly arrive at the best possible selection. I firmly believe we are moving in the right direction.”

United have completed the signings of Zirkzee and Leny Yoro so far this window and will be looking to complete at least two more as they target another centre-back and midfielder before the end of August.

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.