Four Ajax transfers hint at Erik ten Hag recruitment direction at Manchester United

Erik ten Hag has a big task on his hands this summer as he aims to rebuild Manchester United's squad.

United are facing an exodus this summer with Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic, Lee Grant and Juan Mata all expected to leave when their contracts expire - though Mata has revealed his future has not yet been decided with talks still to be held with the incoming manager.

Dean Henderson is closing in on a move to Newcastle, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is up for sale and the futures of Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and even Marcus Rashford remain in doubt. There's potential for 14 players to leave Old Trafford this summer.

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With so many bodies possibly on their way out, a significant number will be needed to replenish the quality and quantity lost. It's unlikely that Ralf Rangnick's recommendation of 10 new players will be met, but it's hard to argue with the interim manager's assessment.

Thankfully, United appear prepared to back their new manager, to an extent, in the market and have already identified several positions that require significant improvement. A new central midfielder, or two, is the priority while a centre-back, right-back, winger and striker are all on the shortlist as well.

United's ability to get deals done quickly and with minimum fuss has left much to be desired in recent years and that will need to change for them to get all their business done, but Ten Hag's previous transfer activity does hint at a direction the club may take.

Managers don't have total control over signings in the modern game but Ten Hag will certainly have input on his new recruits, as he