Erik ten Hag saw a transfer request turned down by INEOS before the end of the summer window, according to reports. The Dutchman was heavily backed by Manchester United’s owners with the Red Devils spending over £180million on five new signings.
Joshua Zirkzee was the first to arrive, joining from Bologna in a deal worth around £36m. Leny Yoro followed him to Old Trafford from Lille before United added Bayern Munich duo Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to their squad.
Manuel Ugarte was the club’s final signing of the window, arriving on deadline day from Paris Saint-Germain after weeks of protracted negotiations. He was snapped up for a fee of around £42m with potential add-ons taking the value of the deal up to £50m.
Throughout the window, United were linked with a renewed move for Sofyan Amrabat following his loan spell at Old Trafford last season. They had the option to buy him for around £20m at the end of the previous campaign but they were not prepared to pay that much.
Ten Hag asked United’s hierarchy to explore a permanent move for Amrabat on reduced terms but saw his request denied, according to talkSPORT. It is said that INEOS were not willing to sign the Moroccan defensive midfielder, instead preferring to focus on other targets.
The new structure in place at Old Trafford has seen Ten Hag adopt a backseat role when it comes to player recruitment. Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox took the lead over the summer, with the Dutchman understood to be fully accepting of his reduced influence.
Ten Hag’s position as manager has been heavily scrutinised following United’s defeat to Liverpool over the weekend. He signed a new contract over the summer but already looks to be facing a battle to save his job, with the pressure ramping up after just three games of the season.
United chief Omar Berrada threw his support behind Ten Hag ahead of the match but it remains to be seen how long the club’s hierarchy will remain patient.
Quizzed on whether INEOS are prepared to stand by their manager for the foreseeable future, Berrada said: “Absolutely. We think Erik is the right coach for us and we’re fully backing him. We’re going to continue working very closely to help him get the best results out of the team.”
