has rubbished suggestions he is overly reliant on signing players he already knows from the Eredivisie and says that particular criticism of his transfers is unwarranted.
The Dutch coach has spent over £400million on new additions since taking charge of the club in the summer of 2022, with the vast majority of those signings being players he was already familiar with.
, and Lisandro Martinez all played under Ten Hag for Ajax in recent seasons, while Christian Eriksen – who came through the academy in Amsterdam – briefly trained at the club when he was recovering from the cardiac arrest he suffered in 2021.
Tyrell Malacia was signed from Feyenoord and impressed Ten Hag when Ajax came up against their Klassieker rivals, Dutch striker Wout Weghorst played four seasons in the Eredivisie before moving to Germany and Sofyan Amrabat came through the academy at Utrecht – where he actually worked under Ten Hag and Steve McClaren.
Even Mason Mount had a loan spell at Vitesse, while Rasmus Hojlund – who on the face of it has no connection to the Netherlands – actually shares an agent, the Dutchman Kees Vos, with Ten Hag.
Incredibly, of United’s 10 permanent signings under Ten Hag, only Casemiro, Jonny Evans and Altay Bayindir had no previous connections to Dutch football or their manager.
But the 53-year-old, who has faced criticism for his signings with few – if any – living up to their price tags, has rejected claims he only signs players from the Eredivisie and insists it has little baring on his recruitment.
Asked about his transfer track record, Ten Hag told the : ‘It’s a perception. It’s used to make a point.
‘Has Casemiro played Eredivisie? Eriksen played in Eredivisie 10 years ago, then for Spurs and Inter Milan. I’ve even seen Mason Mount aligned to the Eredivisie. He was there as a young player to develop.
‘For me, Mount was one of the most attractive young players in the Premier League going out of contract with one year left. It was a great opportunity for us to sign a very good 24-year-old player. That was nothing to do with the Eredivisie.
‘And, if you sign players from Ajax, just look at their history. They have delivered many, many players to the top clubs in the world. It’s a long list.’
Despite suggestions of a cash injection when Sir Jim Ratcliffe finally secures his minority stake in the club, Ten Hag has played down United’s prospects of spending in January and does not expect any new additions.
Asked if he will bring in any new players next month, he replied: ‘I don’t think so — and if so, the approach from United should be that if you can improve your team, then you should do. What we expect from every player coming to Carrington every day is for them to give their maximum, to give their best.
‘As a club, you have to look for improvements, so if you can find better and it’s realistic financially and with financial fair play, I think the club has to go with it.
‘But realistically, in relation to the market, most of the time you don’t attract the best players in the winter. The top, top players will not leave their clubs in the winter. It’s players who are disappointed, injured or just not the right fit or whatever.’
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