Erik ten Hag picks out first Man Utd signing after identifying problem area in squad

Erik ten Hag wants to sign Tyrell Malacia - the Feyenoord defender described as a “pitbull” by fans in Holland.

The incoming Manchester United manager has targeted Malacia after failing with a move to take the 22-year-old Dutch international left-back to Ajax last summer. Rotterdam-born Malacia is comfortable on the ball, possesses blistering pace - and has a tackle so tenacious that he has become a cult hero at the club he joined as a nine-year-old schoolboy.

He was watched by a posse of scouts - including representatives of United and Lyon - as he produced an outstanding performance as Feyenoord beat Marseille 3-2 in the first leg of the Europa Conference semi-finals on Thursday night. Ten Hag was unable to sign Malacia last summer due to the huge rivalry Ajax have with Feyenoord.

But a £20million offer will tempt the Dutch club into selling to United after two financially tough years following the pandemic. Malacia fits the profile of the kind of hungry, young player that Ten Hag has been an expert in developing.

He has just broken into Louis van Gaal’s Holland squad and is set to go to the World Cup in Qatar next winter. Ten Hag has already identified the full-back positions as a problem area at his new club.

Malacia will challenge Luke Shaw for his place in United’s team. Ten Hag also wants a new right-back to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

But when United’s attempt to hijack Bayern Munich’s bid to sign Noussair Mazraoui on a free from Ajax this summer, the Dutchman was given a reality check about how his new club’s pulling power has lost some of its potency.

United fear they will lose out on Mazraoui after failing to convince the Moroccan full-back that he could realise his ambitions in Manchester rather than Munich.