Erik ten Hag's early transfer moves may show squad trait he wants to see at Manchester United

When Erik ten Hag arrived at Manchester United a year ago, there was one characteristic he wanted to add to his team above all else - leadership.

The Dutchman rightly judged that the corridors of Old Trafford had been lacking strong characters in a dismal 2021-22 season and he acted swiftly to correct the issue. In came the experienced heads of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen, while Antony, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez also joined with the latter in particular adding fresh steel to the team.

Those arrivals had the desired effect and all, perhaps bar Malacia, have been fundamental to United's success this season - with January signings Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer adding even more of the knowhow Ten Hag clearly values. The United boss spoke about the qualities the new players have added to his squad ahead of the horror performance against Liverpool in March.

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Ahead of that game, the United boss said: "I think our team, our mentality in general is very good. I think we also have many leaders who set the mentality, who set the standards, who control the standards, who correct if necessary. I think we are happy with this process but it can always be better. That has to be the approach."

It now appears the United boss wants to add to that leadership by bringing in players with a genuine passion for the club this summer. Ten Hag has moved early ahead of the summer transfer window, with United agreeing personal terms with Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount and the Reds chief holding video calls with Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund.

The Danish striker would no doubt be excited by the prospect of a move to United, having come out publicly as a fan of the club