Man Utd board had to veto Erik ten Hag signing who would have been disastrous

The Manchester United board were forced to veto one of Erik ten Hag's first attempted signings at the club, reports claim.

Erik ten Hag's signings have regularly been questioned during his stint in charge at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman has spent around £400 million on 16 signings - the majority of which have played in the Eredivisie or played under Ten Hag.

There was a record outlay of £214 million spent on Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Antony and Martin Dubravka (loan) in his first window but one deal was nixed by United's top brass.

According to Manchester Evening News, Ten Hag wanted to sign Hakim Ziyech from Chelsea.

Image: Getty

He worked with the Moroccan at Ajax for three seasons, reaching the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 - with Ziyech notching 35 goals and 53 assists in that period.

However, he was unable to replicate his heroics at Chelsea and United blocked the approach, it is alleged.

Ziyech stayed put at Chelsea and a move to Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the January window fell through due to the wrong paperwork being sent.

He then ended up coming up against Ten Hag in May, laughing and joking with his former boss after a defeat.

Image: Getty

Ziyech looked set to move to the Saudi Pro League in the summer but a deal did not materialise.

He ended up signing for Galatasaray on loan from Chelsea and could face United in the Champions League later this month when they meet in a crucial group stage game in Istanbul.

Ten Hag's style of play at United has come in for criticism, with many unsure about what the philosophy is.

Image: Getty

They've tended to play more on the counter-attack rather than build out from the back and Ten Hag recently admitted his United team will never play how his Ajax side did.

After the 3-0 loss to Manchester City he told Viaplay: "Never. We will never play that football. Because those were different players.

"This is also not why I came here. We are playing different football than I showed at Ajax because I have to, because I can't play the same way."

Topics: Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United, Chelsea, Hakim Ziyech

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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