In the past ten years, Man Utd recruited 13 players for over 65 million USD, such as Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, Romelu Lukaku, Jadon Sancho, Angel di Maria or Fred. Most did not meet expectations and had to leave Old Trafford.
During the press conference before the match against Tottenham in round 21 of the Premier League this week, when asked about the above statistics, Ten Hag replied: “As I said, playing for Man Utd is very different from playing for anyone else. Any other club. Shining at Man Utd is also more difficult than other clubs.”
The Dutch coach emphasized that players must have strong personalities and psychology to cope with expectations when the price is higher. “But this is the best club you want to play for, this is the best challenge you want to go through,” he continued. “So, if I were a player, I would take on that challenge when the opportunity comes. But I don’t want to talk about a specific club, I just want to say that playing for many other clubs would be much easier than with at Man Utd”.
Under Pep Guardiola, Man City also recruited 15 players worth over 65 million USD, such as Kevin de Bruyne, Rodri, Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, John Stones or Erling Haaland. But in contrast to Man Utd, most of the above names played successfully, even collecting the entire set of English football titles and reaching the peak of the quintuplet in 2023.
When asked about this difference, Ten Hag recalled that many of Man Utd’s deals last season were considered successful such as Lisandro Martinez, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro or Tyrell Malacia. The 53-year-old coach emphasized that what is necessary for Man Utd right now is to unite the whole team to play together and achieve more consistent results. “The whole team must shine together and then they will all be considered very good signings,” he expressed.
One of the most disappointing contracts under Ten Hag was Antony – who was recruited for a total fee of 109 million USD from Ajax and awarded a five-year contract with a weekly salary of 235,000 USD. After a year and a half, the Brazilian has only scored eight goals and three assists in 65 matches. This season, he has not scored or assisted after 21 matches in all competitions.
Ten Hag defended his students by saying that Antony played well at Ajax – where he scored 25 goals in 82 matches for the Dutch team, winning two national championships and a National Cup. He also said that Antony performed well at Man Utd last season and in the early matches of this season, before having to stop playing for a short time because of the scandal of being assaulted by his ex-girlfriend. Ten Hag said Man Utd supports Antony, but the 23-year-old player must resolve the personal problems he caused and improve his performance.
Ten Hag revealed that Martinez, Casemiro, Luke Shaw, and Amad Diallo all returned to training, thereby giving Man Utd more options in the match against Tottenham. He assessed that coach Ange Postecoglou helped Tottenham “transform”, playing proactively, dynamically, attacking beautifully and achieving good results. The Dutch coach also sent his wishes to Jadon Sancho – who completed his return to Dortmund on a loan contract until the end of the 2023-2024 season without a buyout clause.