Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United ‘have to act’ in transfer market

Erik ten Hag has denied there is panic inside Manchester United regarding recruitment but admitted that with less than three weeks until the transfer window closes, the club “have to act”.

United have so far signed Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martínez and Tyrell Malacia, with the club hopeful of adding Juventus’s Adrien Rabiot. They also retain long-term interest in Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and Ajax’s Antony. A bid to buy Marko Arnautovic from Bologna was abandoned on Tuesday following the rejection of a £8m offer and significant backlash from United fans to news of the club’s interest in the former West Ham striker.

The moves for Rabiot as a possible alternative to De Jong, and the 33-year-old Arnautovic as a different option to Antony, has provoked scrutiny of United’s acumen in the market. Ten Hag, whose first Premier League game as United manager ended in defeat to Brighton on Sunday, was asked if he sensed panic internally at the club.

“When Manchester United is not performing, not winning, that’s normal,” said the Dutchman ahead of Saturday’s visit to Brentford. “I would be more in panic when there wasn’t panic because we have to win. That is the demand. Still, I would say panic isn’t the right word. It’s more like, ‘Come on, we have to act’. We have to think bright and do the right things.”

Ten Hag was appointed United’s new manager nearly four months ago. The 52-year-old was asked if “disaster” is a fair characterisation of the club’s failure to sign the midfielder and forward he wants during this period. “No,” Ten Hag insisted. “Of course it would be my preference because we could be starting the process earlier [making these signings], that’s quite clear but the season is long and you have to get in the