Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has urged Sir Jim Ratcliffe to sort key appointments quickly - to ensure the club do not miss out on key targets in the summer transfer window
22:30, 12 Apr 2024Updated 22:47, 12 Apr 2024
Erik ten Hag wants Sir Jim Ratcliffe to sort Manchester United's new football structure as quickly as possible – so they do not lose out in the summer transfer market.
United's former football director John Murtough, who appointed Ten Hag two years ago, left this week, with Ratcliffe and his advisors pushing to construct a new football operations team.
Newcastle want around £20million in compensation from United for Dan Ashworth, while Southampton have yet to accept a settlement for their sporting director Jason Wilcox.
Ten Hag said he will miss the support of Murtough, who was a key ally of his at United, and said United must replace him and get the new team in place in time for the summer transfer window.
READ MORE: Watch the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund with TNT SportsREAD MORE: Erik ten Hag replacement option sends 'pain in the a***' message to Sir Jim Ratcliffe“We're working in the background on plans with the scouting,” said Ten Hag. “So what we do with our staff, we are working on our plan. The plan is ready, but we have to execute.
“I trust the new ownership will work as quickly as possible and bring in good, new structures and then they can execute.
“We have good plans, I think also with quality players. You see now, with our recruitment, that Andre Onana is doing very well. Rasmus Hojlund, everyone is seeing his big talent and potential.
"You can see we are doing quite good [with recruitment]. Lisandro Martinez - everyone was hugely happy with him, and there are others.
“So recruitment is good. But, if they have even better ideas, we're always open and always you have to judge. If you have options, but they come with better options, we are open.
“They have to fill us in. But we have a way we want to play, so we know our profiles and it [the recruitment] has to match the profiles we want.”
Ten Hag's progress in his second season has been sabotaged by more than 50 separate injuries, primarily in defence, although he did not seek to use that as an excuse for United's regression.
“You have to be realistic,” said Ten Hag. “As a manager, it's like being a minister [a politician] - you don’t have everything in your hands but, at the end of the day, you have to accept that.
"You're responsible for everything and I take that. A lot went against us this season, but you have to deal with it.
"Some things you don't see coming and you can't influence as a manager. Then you have to make the best out of it.
“This business, this industry, is about results. Many only see results, but you have to see what's underneath. I see what's underneath. I see the potential. I see the direction.
“So I'm positive about the way we want to go and we will be successful.”
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