MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 18:49:23| >> :60:2:2:

Erik ten Hag confirms two positions Manchester United will target in summer

Ten Hag confirms two positions Man Utd will target in summer
© Reuters
Erik ten Hag confirms that Manchester United will be in the market to strengthen at least two different positions in the summer.

Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Manchester United will be looking to sign players in at least two different positions in the summer transfer window.

Speculation persists that Ten Hag may not be the man at the helm past the end of this season, a consequence of United sitting down in sixth position in the Premier League standings.

Nevertheless, still with a chance to win the FA Cup, the Dutchman has reasons to demand a strong finish from his players to boost the chances of a longer stay at Old Trafford.

If reports are to be believed, resolving United's central-defensive issues could be a priority, that area plagued by injuries throughout the current campaign.

Furthermore, Raphael Varane is allegedly out of contract, as is Jonny Evans, while only Willy Kambwala and Lisandro Martinez are below the age of 27.

Manchester United's Willy Kambwala with manager Erik ten Hag on April 7, 2024© Reuters

Other positions to be targeted

Ten Hag has consistently been questioned regarding matters in other areas of the pitch, United having been left short because of injuries to first-team and backup players.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Friday, Ten Hag acknowledged that United could have benefitted from having another left-back and striker in their ranks to add quality and share the workload.

As quoted by BBC Sport, the Dutchman said: "You need more options. You need double positioning in every position."

"Some positions we didn't have the choices this season - the striker position, the left-back position - and that has a negative impact on the results."

Ten Hag spoke more on his side's issues in attack, adding: "In this plan we constructed we should have had enough goals.

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford celebrates scoring against Manchester City on March 3, 2024© Reuters

"You count on goals from [Marcus] Rashford - last season he scored 30. You count on goals from [Anthony] Martial - in my first season he played very well, and also in very important games he had a high impact on our performances.

"And then bringing a goalscorer like Rasmus Hojlund in, it should have been enough goals."

Marcus Rashford has managed just eight goals from 38 appearances in all competitions this season, while Anthony Martial has just two from 19 outings, later being ruled out in the long term through groin surgery.

There have been times when United have looked threatening in the final third, yet only 45 goals have been scored in 31 league games, the joint-11th best return.

At left-back, injury has restricted Luke Shaw to 15 starts, whereas Tyrell Malacia has not made a single appearance due to a knee injury.

ID:541276:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect4791:

Click here for more stories about Erik ten Hag

Click here for more stories about Manchester United

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United's Harry Maguire celebrates scoring their first goal on February 24, 2024
Read Next:
Ten Hag "very pleased" 31-year-old stayed at Man Utd last summer
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!