Erik ten Hag told to stop "bringing in his mates" as Man Utd boss eyes transfer

27 January 2024 , 17:37

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Erik ten Hag has been warned over future Man Utd transfers (Image: Sky Sports/YouTube)

Erik ten Hag has been warned against bringing another Ajax player to Manchester United by Red Devils legend Paul Parker.

The Dutchman has overseen a number of signings since taking the reins in the summer of 2022 and not all of them have convinced the expectant Old Trafford faithful. Ten Hag has signed a number of faces familiar to him, with the United boss spending big on players he has worked with previously.

Antony and Lisandro Martinez were signed from Ten Hag's old club Ajax for a combined fee of £128million and though Martinez has for the most part impressed, Antony has done very little to justify his £85m price-tag.

Goalkeeper Andre Onana was identified as the ideal candidate to replace David de Gea and although he was purchased from Inter Milan, Ten Hag and the Cameroon international shared time together previously in Amsterdam. Onana was Ajax's first-choice goalkeeper for the best part of six years, including the majority of Ten Hag's reign.

Onana has hardly eased any of the nerves surrounding United's long-term goalkeeping options, with a number of high-profile errors within the first half of his debut campaign at the club. Now another Ajax talent is on Ten Hag's transfer wish-list, in the shape of forward Brian Brobbey.

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The 21-year-old has been a shining light in what has otherwise been an underwhelming campaign for the Eredivisie titans so far, with 11 goals in 17 appearances. Ten Hag has made no secret of his desire to add some attacking reinforcements and Brobbey is believed to be his preferred target.

However, United legend Parker cited Antony as an example of what could wrong if the rest of the Red Devils hierarchy give Ten Hag full of freedom over transfers. He told bettingexpert.com : "What happened to Antony?

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Brian Brobbey is the latest Ajax star to be linked with a move to Manchester United (ANP via Getty Images)

"So, yeah, it's worrying if Erik ten Hag is that focused on bringing in some of his former players, keeping in mind that Antony was his first priority. If he was his first priority, how bad must his second priorities be then."

Parker went on to admit he harbours some concerns over Ten Hag's habit of simply turning to Ajax's options when in need of a new signing. He added: "I think Erik ten Hag should be a bit careful.

"He is putting himself under seriously hard pressure if he keeps bringing in his mates, which he has done on some occasions. If they are not performing well, he will be the guy to look at. I think it's a dangerous one."

Josh O'Brien