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Rob DawsonCorresponding
Erik ten Hag likes to say that Manchester United have been going “in the right direction” on the pitch since taking over as manager in the summer, and the last 24 hours of the January transfer window have been proof that progress has been made too. made. .
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Tuesday’s deadline began with the news that midfielder Christian Eriksen, a player used more than any other by Ten Hag in the first half of the season, would be ruled out for at least three months with an ankle injury, but it ended on a high note. , with a club announcement that Marcel Sabitzer has been signed on loan by Bayern Munich to make up for the loss.
It’s a stark contrast to January 2022, when caretaker manager Ralf Rangnick wanted a striker but didn’t get one.
“I spoke to the board and I said to them, ‘Shouldn’t we at least talk and analyze and find if we can at least get a player, either on loan or on a permanent contract? “Ultimately the answer was no,” Rangnick said in May, shortly before his term as manager ended. “Maybe they didn’t want to do winter [business]. I think we should have tried for those 48 hours. Forty-eight hours is 48 hours. It might have been worth at least trying to discuss it internally. We did not do it.
“The answer was no and that was it. We were still in three competitions: the FA Cup, the Champions League, and at the time we were fourth in the league.”
Rangnick was unhappy and still believes the lack of options up front contributed to a disastrous second half of the season under his watch.
Like Rangnick, Ten Hag expressed concern in the January window that the team – following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and injuries to Eriksen and Donny van de Beek – would not be able to meet the demands of four competitions . This time, however, the club listened and – above all – acted.
Striker Wout Weghorst was loaned out to replace Ronaldo while a deal for Sabitzer was agreed within 12 hours on deadline day after scans revealed the extent of Eriksen’s injury. United insist the Sabitzer deal and the speed with which it was completed shows that the club’s recruitment service – heavily criticized in the past – is now working as it should.
As soon as it became clear that Eriksen would be sidelined for months rather than weeks, the team led by Director of Football John Murtough, Assistant Director of Football Andy O’Boyle, Director of Data science Dominic Jordan and recruiting operations manager Steve Brown activated an “emergency protocol” designed to quickly identify realistic targets in problematic positions. On Monday, Ten Hag was presented with a list of 10 names – seen as potentially available and found to be of sufficient quality – but when he sat down for his scheduled press conference at 1200 GMT on Tuesday, he still had no no idea if he would have anyone on board.
“As a manager I think you always try to find ways to improve your team,” he said when asked about the prospect of a late signing. “I wouldn’t be a good manager if I didn’t. If there are opportunities, it’s my job to tell the club that there are opportunities to strengthen our squad.”
Behind the scenes on Monday and Tuesday morning, Ten Hag scrambled to get someone in as chief executive Richard Arnold stressed that any additions to the squad had to adhere to strict financial constraints following higher than expected transfer spending last summer. . United already had tons of data on Sabitzer – they considered a move when he was at RB Leipzig – and were confident he was the right player when he told Ten Hag by phone on Tuesday he was desperate to move to Old Trafford.
Negotiations with Bayern – which only started hours before the 11pm GMT deadline – were straightforward due to a strong existing relationship between the clubs, something Murtough sought to cultivate with all the best European teams since taking on the role of footballer. manager in March 2021. Sources have told ESPN that following initial talks with Sabitzer and Bayern, the deal – a loan until June – was like “pushing an open door”.
United feel they have benefited from moving the entire recruitment operation to Carrington rather than splitting it between the London and Manchester offices, and with so little time to finalize the deal, having all the everyone in the same room for meetings with Ten Hag and his staff was key.
“We are really happy with the transfer because we need it,” Ten Hag said on Wednesday. “Bringing a quality player on deadline day is difficult, but we had that opportunity.”
Sources have told ESPN that United decided to back Ten Hag in January because the busy schedule between now and the end of the season is a consequence of the success he has already had in the job. After booking their place in the Carabao Cup final with Wednesday’s semi-final win over Nottingham Forest (stream a replay on ESPN+ in the US) while continuing to compete in the FA Cup and Europa League and fighting for a place in the Premier League’s top four, United could still have 32 games to play before the end of May and end up playing 65 games this season, 16 more than last term.
In conversations on deadline day with Murtough and the recruiting team, Ten Hag asked that the potential success of his first season not be compromised by a lack of options in the squad. United have delivered the players, hoping they will deliver on the pitch.
