Erik ten Hag's 21 Man Utd signings rated and slated as recruitment issues slammed
Erik ten Hag has signed 21 new players since taking over as Manchester United manager, and the club's recruitment since his arrival has come under plenty of scrutiny
by Tom Victor · The MirrorManchester United's struggles under Erik ten Hag have brought the club's recruitment back into focus, and it doesn't look pretty.
United legend Paul Scholes has become the latest to take aim at the signings made under the Dutchman. Around £600m has been forked out across Ten Hag's three summer windows, but questions remain over squad depth and balance.
Speaking on SuperSport, Scholes questioned the wisdom of coach Ruud van Nistelrooy seemingly playing no part in the summer addition of Joshua Zirkzee. "He also has to be involved in the recruitment side of it, signing a centre forward or two centre forwards. 'Ruud, who do you think?'," Scholes said.
"I am not sure he would have picked Zirkzee. I am not sure he would have picked (Rasmus) Hojlund. Look, there is probably not a plethora of centre forwards out there but you would go consult him, wouldn't you?"
Ten Hag's first season saw United finish third in the league, but they dropped down to eighth in year two. Some £200m was splashed out over the summer, but with no noticeable improvement so far.
With United sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table and Ten Hag facing a make or break set of fixtures, Mirror Football has ranked the manager's business so far. Some 21 players have joined under Ten Hag, and the full list doesn't make for pretty reading.
Outright successes
For all the criticism of Ten Hag's narrow scope for signings, the two biggest successes have been players he knows well from his time at Ajax. Even so, Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana have got there by different routes.
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Martinez endured a tough start to life at Old Trafford as Ten Hag lost his first two games in charge, with a 4-0 loss at Brentford particularly striking. Since then, though, he has felt at home at Old Trafford and United have missed him during his absence.
Onana had a tough start too, and a much longer one. However, after costing his team some points in very visible fashion, he came out the other side and has been able to ensure things haven't been even worse for his manager.
Promising but needs to do more
There's only one player in this category, and it's Rasmus Hojlund. While the Danish striker had no control over his £64m price tag, fans will expect more from a marquee signing.
There have been mitigating factors, of course. Injury curtailed his start after joining from Atalanta in the summer of 2023, and also kept him out of action at the start of this season.
Hojlund is still just 21 years old, though, and was still United's top scorer with 16 goals last term despite barely playing 3,000 minutes in all competitions. There's something to work with there, at least.
Served a purpose, if only briefly
Not all of Ten Hag's signings have been brought in as long-term projects. Some, like Jonny Evans and Marcel Sabitzer, have been quicker fixes who did the task required of them after joining amid injuries to team-mates.
One of those injuries was the one suffered by Christian Eriksen before Sabitzer's arrival on loan. The Dane also makes it into this category after joining on a free, even if there are questions over whether he should have been offloaded this summer.
The fourth player in this category might come as a surprise, but it's worth recognising how important Casemiro was in Ten Hag's first season. The Brazil international's drop-off has been striking, though, and that hefty contract now looks concerning.
Too early to judge
While Scholes didn't seem to feel it's too early to judge Joshua Zirkzee after a seven-game scoreless run, it seems fair to wait more than a couple of months before running the rule over United's new arrivals. Certainly, no one will have any issues holding fire on Leny Yoro as the centre-back waits for his debut following a pre-season injury.
There's a case for Noussair Mazraoui being the most impressive of those arrivals, while Matthijs de Ligt has also had his moments. The Dutch centre-back starred in the Premier League win at Southampton, but questions remain over whether he will be a starter once Yoro reaches full fitness.
The fifth of United's summer signings, Manuel Ugarte, has started just once in the league since joining from Paris Saint-Germain. That didn't stop Marco van Basten slamming the Uruguayan, though, saying "It's idiotic how much (Ten Hag) has decided to invest in players who are not even good".
Underwhelming
Sometimes signings don't work out, and that can happen for all manner of reasons. Wout Weghorst and Sofyan Amrabat were both signed on loan and to all intents and purposes allowed to audition for a permanent move, but neither passed that test.
Ten Hag's first signing, Tyrell Malacia, has underwhelmed for different reasons. Injury kept him out of the entire 2023-24 season, but he hadn't set the world alight before then.
Another man to suffer from injury issues is Mason Mount, who hasn't been able to enjoy a settled run in the team since his summer 2023 arrival. The former Chelsea man cost a fair whack at £55m, arriving with Premier League and international experience, and plenty will have expected more from him by now.
Barely noticeable
Ten Hag has also made some short-term signings who barely registered. Jack Butland, Martin Dubravka and Sergio Reguilon all spent time at Old Trafford on loan, but you could be forgiven for not being able to picture any of them in club colours.
The fourth man in this category is still at the club, at least. Altay Bayindir became the first Turkish player to sign for United when he joined from Fenerbahce, but has played more games for Turkey than for United since moving to Old Trafford.
Bayindir made his debut against Newport County in last season's FA Cup, and also started this season's League Cup win at home to Barnsley. Barring an injury to Onana, it's hard to see him getting much more action.
Antony
Yes, Antony regrettably gets his own category. Considering the cheaper options and the lengths Ten Hag went to for a reunion, the bar was high, but the Brazilian wouldn't have even cleared a low one.
In more than two years as a Manchester United player, Antony has 12 goals and five assists at a rate of one goal involvement every 301 minutes - or one every 393 minutes if we look at the Premier League alone. This for someone who is the second most expensive signing in club history at a frankly preposterous £86m.
“The problem with Antony at Manchester United is I think he’s a player that is perfect for the Dutch league," pundit and former Premier League winner Joe Cole said in September. "I think the physicality of the Premier League is something he struggles with.
"He’s a talented footballer with great technique and skill, and it was good to see him playing well against Barnsley, but I don’t see him making an impact in the United starting team this season and I can’t see him turning it around at Manchester United.”
Considering Antony's hefty fee and significant wages, it might be tough for United to offload the star without taking a major financial hit. He may yet turn things around, but there have been few signs to suggest that might be the case.
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