have abandoned their pursuit of Marko Arnautovic after they received complaints from supporters.
The 33-year-old veteran striker emerged as a shock transfer target on Sunday in the wake of United’s chastening defeat against Brighton at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag has been frustrated in his attempts to bolster his forward line this summer and has been restricted to making just three new signings so far.
The speculation that continues to surround ’s future has represented an unwanted distraction, while an injury to Anthony Martial has provided another headache.
Ten Hag and his assistant Steve McClaren were understood to have championed Arnautovic as a short-term solution and know the player well from their time together at FC Twente
After having an initial bid of €8million rejected, however, United are set to drop their interest and pursue alternative targets according to .
United are also said to have shelved their interest in Arnautovic after a backlash from a number of supporters, some of whom directly emailed chief executive Richard Arnold to express their concerns.
Arnautovic was banned for one match at last summer’s European Championships after he was accused of using an anti-Albanian slur during Austria’s game against North Macedonia.
The former West Ham and Stoke City star denied he was racist in a social media post but several fans raised concerns that signing a player with a checkered past would not sit well with United’s zero tolerance stance on racism.
Arnautovic also denied allegations in 2009 he had racially abused a opponent while playing in the Eredivisie.
While his reputation as a controversial figure led to United performing another transfer U-turn, the merit of recruiting an ageing player, well past his best led to widespread consternation with Gary Neville rendered speechless.
‘I don’t know, I have no comment,’ Neville told Sky Sports when asked about United’s approach for Arnautovic.
‘I’ve got a comment on everything in the world apart from Man United trying to sign Marko Arnautovic, I’ve got nothing to say.
‘Falcao, Ibrahimovic, Cavani, Ighalo. We’ve seen it now for eight, 10 years. It’s a pattern, it happens time and time again, we don’t get angry or animated about it anymore. It’s got to the point where I don’t even want to talk about it anymore.’
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