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Erik ten Hag: No 'risk' to come to Manchester United

The newly-appointed Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has made clear how he wants to tackle some of the issues that have greeted him within the Red Devils squad - but has already encountered a problem.

Last season, under the guidance of both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and interim boss Ralf Rangnick, United conceded 57 goals - the second-worst record of any side that finished in the top 10. As a result, Ten Hag is aiming to bring in some defenders more to his taste but could be out of luck.

This is down to United's reckless £193million shopping spree on defenders down the years that has brought very little return in terms of quality - as shown by their defensive record last season.

Ten Hag is thought to be desperate to sign Ajax central defender Jurrien Timber having overseen his rise to the first team while manager of the Eredivisie giants. However, Sky Sports report that signing any more defenders has been regarded as the lowest priority by the United hierarchy.

This is because of the sheer numbers they already have in that department. The Red Devils have five centre-backs on the books that have accumulatively cost the club just under £200m.

The much-maligned club captain Harry Maguire was of course the most expensive out of that group, with United forking out £80m to entice him to Old Trafford from Leicester City. The move is one that appears to have gotten worse