Erik ten Hag had Man Utd transfer 'vetoed' for player that has come back to haunt him

Manchester United chiefs have paid the price for reportedly vetoing a signing Erik ten Hag wanted to make shortly after arriving at Old Trafford.

United suffered another damaging result on Wednesday night when they were held to a 3-3 draw by Galatasaray in the Champions League.

Ten Hag’s side twice held a two-goal lead but were unable to hold on for what would have been a vital three points.

Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes had put United in a strong position before former Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech pulled one back for the hosts from a free kick.

Scott McTominay restored United's two-goal buffer after the break but a calamitous error from Andre Onana allowed Ziyech to score his second from another free-kick.

Muhammed Akturkoglu then equalised for the home side with a brilliant strike.

United must now beat Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on December 12 and hope Galatasaray and Copenhagen draw to progress to the last 16.

At the end of Wednesday’s match, Ten Hag was spotted embracing Ziyech - who he coached at Ajax.

The Dutchman even tried to sign the winger shortly after arriving at Old Trafford but the transfer was reportedly blocked by the club.

According to Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag wanted to sign Ziyech from Chelsea in the summer of 2022 but United's board 'vetoed' the move.

Nevertheless, Ten Hag has been backed with significant funds since taking charge of United.

In total, he has been allowed to spend £400m on 16 signings - the majority of which have played under him personally or in the Eredivisie.

Ten Hag managed Ziyech at Ajax (Image: Getty)

That transfer strategy has produced mixed results and is set to be ripped up when Sir Jim Ratcliffe completes his deal to purchase a minority stake in the club.

Ratcliffe is set to implement a new transfer strategy at United that will see them prioritise homegrown talent over foreign players.

Ratcliffe will take over football operations at Old Trafford and is set to instruct a new-look team to prioritise homegrown talent over foreign players, with Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi and Brentford striker Ivan Toney on their list of targets.

Topics: Football, Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Hakim Ziyech, Galatasaray, Transfers, Champions League

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan