Former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag gave an in-depth interview to Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic. In the third part of the interview, Ten Hag reflected on his transfer plans during his time at Manchester United, revealing that he had pushed for the signings of Kane and Rice, and had also tried to bring in De Jong, Welbeck, and Brobbey. He believed that Manchester United needed mature, responsible top players at the time, and that the lack of goal-scoring ability was always the biggest problem he faced during his tenure.
Related reading:
Ten Hag's appeal to Manchester United was largely due to the football style he cultivated at Ajax.
In 2019, Ten Hag led Ajax to the Champions League semi-finals.
On their way, they defeated Real Madrid 4-1 at the Bernabéu and Juventus 2-1 in Turin.
At the time, Ajax's attacking football, quick pressing, and game control left a deep impression on observers.
Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold and Football Director John Murtough decided to appoint Ten Hag based on these performances.
Ten Hag recalled:
"Our football philosophy should be dynamic attacking football with immediate pressing after losing possession."
"This is also what Richard and John asked me to do."
"We want to control possession in the opponent's half."
"Of course, they also want to win games."
"Old Trafford is the Theatre of Dreams."
"They want to see adventurous football."
"But if you want to achieve that, you must have the right type of players."
Ten Hag further explained his requirements for the squad.
In his opinion, to implement this playing philosophy, Manchester United must have defenders who can adapt to high defensive lines and possession-based play, as well as central midfielders with organizational skills.
"In my view, you need a centre-back who can build play from the back, and also a centre-back who is good at winning possession and can adapt to a high defensive line."
"In the first season, I clearly stated: 'There are problems in the centre-back position and in central midfield. Especially, I need a core player who can organize the game.'"
"Then we also need goals."
"And goal-scoring was always the biggest problem during my three years at Manchester United."
Ten Hag's initial midfield target was Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong.
Manchester United negotiated for weeks for this transfer, but ultimately the player refused to join.
Although it was widely believed that Ten Hag was directly involved in Manchester United's transfer negotiations and had financial decision-making power, he denied this.
Speaking about the failed deal, Ten Hag said:
"Everyone thought the manager was responsible for transfer negotiations and that I was involved in financial matters, but that's not true."
"I was never involved in financial negotiations."
"Of course, I tried my best."
"I arranged a meeting with De Jong, and Richard and John were also involved. We tried to convince him to join Manchester United."
"He could have played a very important role in building the team—not just for that season, but for the team's future development as well."
"But ultimately we couldn't complete the deal."
After failing to sign De Jong, Ten Hag pushed Manchester United to pursue another top midfielder.
This time, his target was England midfielder Declan Rice, then at West Ham United.
Ten Hag believed that Manchester United needed to sign players of this caliber to consistently compete for top honours.
However, West Ham were unwilling to let their key midfielder leave.
Ten Hag stated:
"The problem was that West Ham were unwilling to let him leave."
"I think we could have done more to probe their stance further."
"We were united on this issue, and the club made efforts."
"But I don't know exactly how the negotiation process progressed."
"The key is, if you are Manchester United, you need exceptional players."
Rice, then 24, eventually joined Arsenal in the summer of 2023 for £105 million.
Since then, Rice has become a crucial figure for Arteta's team.
Last season, he helped Arsenal win the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years, playing a significant role in the team's success.
Rice also frequently wore the Arsenal captain's armband and was included in the 30-man shortlist for this year's Ballon d'Or.
For the centre-forward position that same transfer window, Ten Hag had a much clearer target.
Rather than compare multiple candidates, he proposed a very specific name to the club's hierarchy.
"I told them: 'I only want one player, and you know who he is.'"
He was referring to Harry Kane, who was 30 at the time.
Ten Hag believed that Kane was the ideal candidate to help Manchester United solve their goal-scoring problem and enhance the team's overall competitiveness.
He actively campaigned to the management to facilitate this deal.
Ten Hag said:
"I fought for this transfer."
"I heard that Kane was very positive about joining."
"But I never spoke to him personally about it."
"I also don't know what decisions were made internally by John, Richard, and the Glazer family."
Ultimately, Manchester United's management rejected the plan to sign Kane.
Ten Hag stated:
"They ultimately made the decision."
"But I don't know the financial details behind it."
Kane subsequently joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham Hotspur for €110 million.
Since then, the England captain has scored 157 goals in 155 appearances for Bayern, won two Bundesliga titles, and was nominated for this year's Ballon d'Or.
Discussing Manchester United's team-building philosophy at the time, Ten Hag believed that players like Kane and Rice were exactly the type the team needed most.
He particularly emphasized the experience, personality, and responsibility of mature players.
"I think that for a club like Manchester United, if you want to be successful, you need these types of players."
"They have strong personalities, are mature enough, and are willing to take responsibility."
"We brought in five or six young players with high potential."
"But they are not yet fully mature players."
"They need guidance from excellent professional players—like Kane, Rice, and Bruno Fernandes."
In Ten Hag's view, there is no problem with signing young players with potential, but the team cannot solely rely on players who are not yet fully mature.
These youngsters need to develop alongside mature professional players, receiving guidance from experienced teammates and gradually learning to take on responsibility.
In addition to Kane, Ten Hag also considered bringing in another striker with extensive Premier League experience.
That was Danny Welbeck, then 33 years old and at Brighton.
Welbeck had previously played for Manchester United, and Ten Hag revealed that the club did indeed make contact with him.
"Without a doubt, we had contact at that time."
"Usually it wasn't me directly, but Darren Fletcher communicated with him."
Darren Fletcher was then Manchester United's technical director.
Speaking about Welbeck's attitude towards the potential transfer, Ten Hag said:
"And he was very interested in joining."
However, due to continuous changes in Manchester United's management, the club ultimately did not make a formal offer to Welbeck.
This meant that despite contact between the two parties and the player's interest, the transfer never reached the formal offer stage.
Another forward Ten Hag hoped to sign was Brian Brobbey.
This Dutch striker had previously worked with Ten Hag at Ajax, so both were very familiar with each other.
In the summer of 2022, Ten Hag planned to sign Brobbey as a second striker alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
However, this deal also did not materialize.
Ten Hag recalled:
"At first, not everyone agreed to the transfer."
"Later, we convinced them."
"But by then, we were too late."
"He had already entered another transfer process."
Brobbey eventually joined Sunderland in 2023.
As of this interview, he has scored 10 goals in 36 Premier League matches.
Reflecting on these uncompleted transfers, Ten Hag believed that Manchester United needed not only players' individual technical abilities but also characteristics that fit the team's playing philosophy and experience to help young players develop.
Whether it was an organizing midfielder like De Jong, a top midfielder like Rice, or an experienced goalscorer like Kane, these were the players he hoped to sign at different stages.
However, in these deals, Ten Hag emphasized that he was not responsible for specific financial negotiations and did not fully understand the club's internal decision-making process.
Currently, Ten Hag's focus has shifted to FC Twente.
As the club's technical director, he needs to ensure the team builds its squad through correct transfers and motivates all players to work towards a common goal.
Although Twente's scale cannot compare to Manchester United, Ten Hag still feels the pressure to deliver results.
Speaking about his feelings working at his hometown club, he said:
"The attention in this region is very, very high."
"For Dutch football, this is a big club."
"Of course, it's not a big global club—that's very clear."
"But there is always pressure here too."
"People here are also very critical."
"So your work must deliver results."
AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com