Erik ten Hag is under increasing pressure with fans booing the team and British media hell-bent on attacking him. Injuries and the poor form of his attackers are not helping matters either.
It is clear to see that the Glazers once again let down yet another manager as funds were once again tight and the club could not bring in the top targets.
Rasmus Hojlund still looks raw and that was expected considering he was only 20 and was coming to the Premier League on the back of a solitary season with Atalanta in Serie A.
Truth about United’s striker pursuit
That is exactly why the United manager wanted the club to go after then-Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane or try to outbid the rest in the race to sign Victor Osimhen.
After both strikers were ruled out due to the costs involved, United put all their weight behind the Denmark international. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirmed the same.
He dispelled rumours that the Red Devils wanted Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus. Hojlund was deemed a better fit than the Serbian hitman.
“There was also no truth to links between Man United and Dusan Vlahovic during the summer. Their top target was always Rasmus Hojlund when they understood that Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen were too expensive. Hojlund was their priority, and Vlahovic was not a target.”Another major mistake the United management made in the summer was failing to strengthen at the back while struggling to offload Harry Maguire.
United, in the current campaign, have let in 15 goals in the opening nine games across all competitions and injuries have affected almost the entire backline.
Ten Hag was eyeing either one of Kim Min-jae, Benjamin Pavard or Jean-Clair Todibo but the club failed to back the manager and now amidst the injury and form crisis, are belatedly thinking of bringing in a new centre-back.
Whether that will be in January or next summer remains to be seen. Benfica defender Antonio Silva‘s name has been doing the rounds but Romano insisted that Benfica have no plans to sell currently.
Onana has the trust of his club
“We’re seeing Antonio Silva linked with Manchester United, but the key point here is that Benfica don’t want to sell the player.
“They were very clear last summer, we will see next summer what happens. Man United have sent their scouts to follow him multiple times and I’m told they will keep tracking him, but there are also more clubs keen on signing him.”
One position where United did strengthen was between the sticks with Andre Onana replacing long-time United No 1 David de Gea but the transition has been far from smooth.
The Cameroonian’s ability with the ball at his feet has been lauded but his shot-stopping has left a lot to be desired, with his mistake against Bayern Munich drawing the ire of pundits.
But links with Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak are wide of the mark, as per Romano. Ten Hag fully trusts Onana an despite a difficult start, the club feel they have got the perfect fit.
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