Erik ten Hag Manchester United future 'hinges on summer funds'

The former Ajax head coach has already overseen a plethora of marquee arrivals since being appointed head coach in 2022, immediately welcoming Lisandro Martinez, Antony, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia to the club.

After a successful debut season saw Man United finish third in the Premier League and win the EFL Cup, another three big-money moves were sanctioned for Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund, as well as the capture of Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

However, most of Man United's multi-million pound acquisitions have struggled to make a consistent impact during their time in a Red Devils jersey, although Mount and Martinez - the latter of whom has made his mark at Old Trafford - also being bedevilled by injuries.

A handful of unwanted records were broken during an abysmal start to the 2023-24 season for Man United, who sit eighth in the Premier League table with nine defeats to their name, and they have already been dumped out of Europe altogether.

Reinforcements in all areas of the field are supposedly being targeted, but the Red Devils were linked with a move for a new striker in particular during the January window, as Ten Hag seeks to ease the goalscoring burden on the improving Hojlund.

As was the case with numerous clubs, though, Financial Fair Play constraints prevented Man United from bringing a single new face to the club, with the Red Devils instead focusing on cutting unwanted names from the wage bill after being fined £256,000 by UEFA for a minor FFP breach last summer.

Loan exits for all of Donny van de Beek, Jadon Sancho, Facundo Pellistri and Hannibal Mejbri were secured, but Ten Hag has confirmed that he wanted to bring another number nine to the club for the second half of the season after Anthony Martial's groin operation.

According to The Mirror, Man United's failure to fulfil his wishes has not gone down well with Ten Hag, who feels that he has not been sufficiently backed in the transfer market since taking the reins at Old Trafford.

The report claims that the Dutchman is seeking assurances that he will have funds available to spend in the summer, having also been left miffed at the club's failures to bring Frenkie de Jong and Harry Kane to Old Trafford.

Amid Man United's on-field struggles and rumours of fractious relationships with members of his squad, Ten Hag's job security at Old Trafford has already been called into question on numerous occasions, although he is not believed to be at immediate risk of the sack.

Once Sir Jim Ratcliffe's 25% purchase from the unpopular Glazer family is ratified by the Premier League, the INEOS guru will take charge of all football operations at the Theatre of Dreams, and the manager's position is one of the top items on his in-tray.

It has been claimed that INEOS will publicly address Ten Hag's future at Old Trafford next month, although the Dutchman remained tight-lipped when asked to lift the lid on conversations with the club's new stakeholders.

Ten Hag's contract at Old Trafford has a little over 18 months left to run, but Man United can trigger a 12-month extension to keep the Dutchman at the club until 2026.

The Red Devils will be bidding to build on recent wins over Newport County and Wolverhampton Wanderers when they host West Ham United at Old Trafford in Sunday's Premier League encounter.