Erik ten Hag explains why Manchester United are signing players from Holland

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag insists he would like to sign English players but their value is too high.

United have signed Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez from Eredivisie clubs, while Christian Eriksen came to prominence at Ajax and trained under Ten Hag when he was a free agent earlier this year.

Ten Hag has also targeted Ajax centre-back Jurrien Timber and forward Antony, while United are continuing to pursue Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who Ten Hag coached for 18 months at Ajax.

Also read: Every word of Ten Hag's Q&A

United are restricted by the profile of player they can target in the transfer market as they failed to qualify for the Champions League but they have invested £55.3million in Argentina international Martinez.

Earlier this month, Raheem Sterling moved to Chelsea from Manchester City for £47.5m rising to £50m and Jack Grealish became English football's first £100m player last year. United made Harry Maguire the most expensive defender in the game's history at £80m three years ago and Jadon Sancho arrived for £72.9m last year.

The 'English tax' stung United in 2019 when they invested £50m in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, now available for transfer. Senior United sources stated at the time their preference was to recruit British players and Ten Hag echoed that, despite favouring familiarity with his three additions.

"I would like to sign English players because I think there is only one criteria and that's quality in combination with the price," Ten Hag explained. "It looks like English players are quite expensive. It's a fact you cannot deny. In the end, it's about quality."

Ten Hag also dispelled concerns over Martinez's height of 5ft 9. "I think he's not the tallest but he is quite good in