22 March 2023 , 02:00
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Usain Bolt has revealed he spoke to Erik ten Hag about Manchester United's summer transfer plans when the pair met on the weekend.
The former Jamaican sprinter was at United's 3-1 FA Cup win over Fulham on Sunday and bumped into the Dutchman during his time at Old Trafford. Bolt, however, watched the Red Devils get dominated for the first 70 minutes as the visitors controlled the game and took the lead through Aleksandar Mitrovic.
However, the Cottagers capitulated when Willian was shown a red card for a deliberate handball on the line. In the aftermath of that decision, Mitrovic was sent off for shoving Chris Kavanagh, while Marco Silva was also given his marching orders after complaining about the referee.
After Bruno Fernandes levelled from the penalty spot, United went in front as Marcel Sabitzer scored his first goal for the club, before Fernandes added his second. The win booked their place in the semi-final of the FA Cup, where they will now face Brighton at Wembley.
In an interview with PA via the Independent, Bolt said: "The first thing I said to him [Ten Hag] was 'thank you'. That’s the first thing I said and he was like 'thanks for what?' I was like 'for bringing the glory days back'.
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"It feels good to watch Manchester [United] now. The team is together, they're as one. They're working together, they're working hard and you can see the purpose now, you can see the determination in the way they play. I was very happy with his progress and I can tell that he’s going to do a lot more. We have a lot more trophies in our future so I’m excited."
United are set for a busy summer as Ten Hag continues to revamp his squad. Anthony Martial and Anthony Elanga don't appear to be in the Dutchman's plans and could leave the club, while David de Gea, Tom Heaton and Phil Jones are all out of contract.
Marcel Sabitzer scored his first goal for Manchester United (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)Bolt and Ten Hag had a conversation about what United might do at the end of the season. The 36-year-old said: "I actually asked him about who we’re going to bring in in the summer and he was like 'do you have any ideas?' It was a nice, simple but fun conversation.''
United currently sit third in the Premier League table, a mammoth 19 points behind leaders Arsenal, although the Red Devils do have two games in hand on their rivals. But United do look like they will qualify for the Champions League in one way or another, with Ten Hag's side still in the Europa League.
On United's season so far with one trophy to their name, Bolt added: "It’s just been a wonderful season to watch our players. Everybody’s just improving and getting better.
"Even the young kid Garnacho, he’s really shining brightly. It’s sad that he got injured but we know it’s part of sports. He’s just got to focus now and work to get back."