Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gave an interview to Sky Sports, in which the 52-year-old spoke about potential signings, his players, and what to expect ahead of the new campaign.
The Dutchman has had a relatively successful pre-season, only losing to Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in Oslo.
Ten Hag’s vision and imprint on the team has already been evident, with the players looking reborn and reinvigorated, something United supporters will be hoping extends to the upcoming season.
The United boss shed light on potential signings, and the profile of players he is looking to bring in, with the club still in the market for reinforcements in certain areas.
“We know what we want. It’s not about signing players, it’s about signing the right players,” Ten Hag said.
“We are really planning it carefully and we are hard-working to get the right players in to construct a good squad, a squad who can win games.”
The former Ajax manager refused to be pulled into making comments about Frenkie de Jong, who has been widely mentioned as his primary target in the middle of the park.
“I don’t talk about a player who’s not under contract at Manchester United.”
The manager, who has certainly made an impression at the Theatre of Dreams, spoke about United’s disgruntled striker, Cristiano Ronaldo, who he described as a fantastic football player who has proved it many times.
On whether Ronaldo can fit into his plans, “I think he (Ronaldo) can (fit into the team). It starts with he has to get fit, he just started.”
These fitness comments may point to Anthony Martial starting as the man to lead the line in United’s opening fixture against Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday. Martial was in fine form on the Red Devils’ pre-season tour and seems to have gained the trust of the manager.
“You always get judged by what you are now and what you are performing now. The team and Cristiano himself have to prove it,” the manager commented.
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