ERIK TEN HAG has lifted the curtain back on Manchester United’s new transfer process.
United have been busy in the market this summer, splashing out a combined total of £88.5million on the services of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro.
The signings are the club’s first under new sporting director Dan Ashworth, who they poached from Newcastle earlier this month.
And their recruitment process has changed drastically in the few weeks Ashworth has been in the job, with both he and Ten Hag agreeing on targets before any approaches are made.
Ten Hag told Dutch outlet AD: “‘With the sporting director we determine the composition of the selection together, together we conduct that process
‘We have to agree, otherwise it won’t go on. That’s how it was at Ajax. Very simple actually.”
As well as Ashworth, United have also appointed Jason Wilcox and Christopher Vivell as technical director and interim director of recruitment respectively.
And Ten Hag is more than happy for the trio to scout out potential targets while he focuses on his current crop of players.
He said: “In current football, as a manager, you can no longer scout yourself. That doesn’t work that way for a long time.
“That base is now strengthened, yes. In terms of scouting and recruitment, a lot has been taken away from me.”
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United are hoping to bring in more defensive reinforcements before the window closes on August 31 and are chasing the signature of Bayern Munch defender Matthijs de Ligt.
Ten Hag knows De Ligt well have coached him during his time as Ajax boss but admits he’s unsure he’ll be able to lure him to Old Trafford.
He said: “It remains to be seen whether Matthijs de Ligt will come, I know him well.
“I wanted to sign him two years ago but at that time, he was already very far along to join Bayern. Believe it or not, his name did not come from me in the process.
“During my vacation, I was three or four weeks out of the process.
“During that period it was really the club, the newly equipped scouting and recruitment department, that brought in these players.
“‘The fact that there are also Dutch people among them is in fact a coincidence.
“Primarily, these were players who were proposed from our organisation.
“But of course I support it, let that be clear. And we still make the choice together.”
