- Erik ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United last week after their poor start
- The Red Devils quickly took action and appointed Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim
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Erik ten Hag reportedly did not want to sign any of Man United’s summer recruits and later became frustrated with the player’s fitness.
The Dutchman’s reign as United boss ended last Monday morning after crucial talks with Ineos chiefs in the aftermath of their controversial 2-1 defeat to West Ham.
Ten Hag’s two and a half years at Old Trafford brought FA Cup and Carabao Cup honors, but his side underperformed in the league, especially in his last full season, which ended with the club finishing eighth.
Now, in the wake of Ten Hag’s sacking, it is being reported that the Dutchman did not want a summer signing from United and was unhappy with the player’s fitness.
According to The sunJoshua Zirkzee, a £36.5million summer signing, arrived at United a stone overweight.
Erik ten Hag reportedly did not want to sign a summer recruit from Man United
Erik ten Hag’s reign as United boss ended last Monday after crucial talks with Ineos executives
This left Ten Hag frustrated with the player’s condition, because according to the outlet he did not want to sign the former Bologna striker in the first place.
The 23-year-old has scored just one goal since joining from Italy in the summer on the opening day of the Premier League season.
The forward fired in from close range against Fulham but has since failed to find the back of the net and struggled to find his best form.
Since then, Zirkzee has lost his place in United’s lineup and has not started a league match for the Red Devils since the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham at the end of September.
After Ten Hag’s dismissal, it emerged that the Dutchman reportedly wanted to bring in an ‘ex-United striker’ to strengthen his team’s faltering front line last season.
The Red Devils’ troubles have been significantly affected by their failed attack, which has seen them limited to just nine goals from 10 league matches.
This was not lost on the departing Ten Hag who wanted to sign former United man Danny Welbeck from Brighton this summer. The Athletics reports.
The striker’s contract was due to expire at the end of the 2023/2024 season, so he could have returned to Old Trafford on a free transfer.
But the uncertainty surrounding Ten Hag’s position, which later appeared to be resolved when United handed him a two-year contract extension, ended his dreams of signing the ‘outstanding’ 33-year-old.
Zirkzee was reportedly found to be one stone overweight after joining the Red Devils in the summer
The Dutchman was also reportedly frustrated by United chiefs’ failure to sign four star players for the side.
According to ESPNTen Hag was unhappy that the club failed to sign Frenkie de Jong, Alexis Mac Allister, Federico Valverde and Harry Kane.
The report further claims that United’s leaders found his demands ‘unrealistic’.
The Red Devils have appointed Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag’s successor.