Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer: Is CR7 leaving Manchester United and which clubs are likely to acquire him?
FootballTop 5 Worst Signings of Erik ten Hag’s Era As Manchester United Manager
- Erik ten Hag is at the end of his second season at Manchester United
- The Dutch manager has signed 16 players in four transfer windows
- One of the points of pressure for Ten Hag has been his failed signings
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Erik ten Hag has overseen four transfer windows and signed 16 players at Manchester United, and it is doubtful he will be in charge for another window.
The performance of his recruitments has been one of the points the fans have against him, as they have yet to deliver cost-effectiveness in terms of performance and availability.
Sports Brief looks at the top five worst signings the Dutch manager made.
Ten Hag’s worst signings at Manchester United
1. Antony
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According to The Athletic, the club's scout valued the winger at £25 million, but at the manager’s insistence, the club paid £86 million. Two seasons in, he has looked far from a player worth half that money. The Brazilian has 11 goals and five assists in 81 games, spread over some terrible performances.
2. Wout Weghorst
A transfer merry-go-round following Cristiano Ronaldo's contract termination brought Weghorst to Old Trafford, cutting short his loan at Besiktas from Burnley. Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr and, in turn, let Vincent Aboubakar join the Turkish side.
The Dutch striker was abysmal, to say the least. He scored one goal each in the FA and Carabao Cup and none in the Premier League.
3. Sofyan Amrabat
According to Football Insider, financial fair play regulations prevented the club from signing the Moroccan permanently. Instead, they paid a £9mil loan fee with an option to make it permanent for another £21mil. The club quickly decided he would return to Fiorentina after struggling and failing to adapt.
Manchester United transfer news: How many players did the Red Devils bring in this transfer window?
Football4. Tyrell Malacia
The Dutch full-back was Ten Hag’s first signing at Old Trafford. He was recruited to deputise the injury-prone Luke Shaw. He featured a couple of times in the first year but has not played at all this season due to a meniscus injury.
5. Casemiro
The veteran midfielder’s days are numbered at the club, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe noting his transfer as one of the poor decisions before he arrived. £70mil for a 30+ player on a £350,000 per week salary is outrageous. He was impressive in his first season but began declining after the Carabao Cup final in 2022.
Honourable mentions: Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Christian Eriksen, Marcel Sabitzer
Five things Ten Hag has gotten wrong
Sports Brief analysed five things Ten Hag has gotten wrong at Manchester United, which are piling pressure on him and could result in his being relieved of his duties.
The major undoing of the Dutch tactician was his recruitments; most of them were overpriced and did not justify their worth in a questionable system he had implemented.