“Well not everyone” – Erik ten Hag sends direct message to Man United owners amid frustration

Erik ten Hag’s latest comments on Manchester United’s striker search suggests that he is frustrated with the Glazer family.

United lost 2-0 against Real Madrid on Thursday and whilst there were certain positives to take from the game, yet again, there was one outstanding flaw.

And that was the lack of a true no.9. Marcus Rashford played through the centre but was isolated and only looked comfortable when drifting to the left.

In prior pre-season fixtures, the United boss had used Jadon Sancho as a false-nine, displaying the main issue that the club have ahead of the new season. They do not have a striker.

Anthony Martial is not trusted to remain fit and there are no other senior options who specialise as a no.9 – Ten Hag is eager to sign a new goalscorer.

His first option was Harry Kane, although that option seems unlikely because of Tottenham Hotspur’s chairman Daniel Levy’s stubbornness. Instead, Rasmus Hojlund of Atalanta seems like the primary option.

This is also a deal that could get done. He is a supporter of the club and has already agreed personal terms – however, latest reports have only stated that the club are confident that he will be signed before the opening game of the Premier League season.

A potential two to three week delay for a deal does not seem ideal. Game-time during pre-season would be cruical for Hojliund to develop.

When speaking to the media about signing a no.9, Ten Hag mentioned that ‘not everyone’ is working constantly to get a deal over the line, suggesting that the ownership could be providing issues in signing the player as soon as possible.

“Absolutely,” replied Ten Hag when asked if the loss against Real Madrid showed why the club are in the market for a new forward. “It’s always difficult to say. We are working 24/7. We do and everyone, well not everyone, but a lot in the club, and we give all the power to get this done.

“We never talk about players under contract with another club, so we have our targets in the background. We are busy with it to get the right player to sign a contract for us.”

John Murtough, who has had extensive meetings with Atalanta officials, is the one making the movements towards getting the signing done, however, he will always need the sign off from Avram Glazer before a deal is struck.

A bid for Hojlund is set to be placed in the coming days but whether the Italian club accept is another issue. Ten Hag wants his man in as soon as possible but that might not be possible.