Inside Erik ten Hag's Man Utd meeting: Who got the invite and transfer plans revealed

Erik ten Hag kicked off his mission to make Manchester United great again by calling a meeting between the three men set to be his closest allies at Old Trafford.

The 51-year-old invited Red Devils Football Director John Murtough, long-time Ajax assistant Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren to Amsterdam on Thursday. It came less than 24 hours after emphatically wrapping up the Eredivisie title with a 5-0 victory over Heerenveen upon which he finally lifted the lid on his decision to join United.

It has been reported by the Telegraph that Murtough caught an early flight for talks with the trio, who are all well-acquainted with Ten Hag's footballing philosophy. Van der Gaag has been his right-hand man at Ajax since the start of this season, while McClaren took him under his wing at Twente more than a decade ago. Both are now understood to be on the verge of reuniting with Ten Hag in Manchester.

At the roundtable, the Dutch tactician laid out his transfer blueprint and reaffirmed that he wants to bring in two midfielders during the summer transfer window. To his delight, United are already actively pursuing the signing of ex-Ajax star and current Barcelona ace Frenkie de Jong. A versatile forward is also said to be on the Ten Hag's shopping list, as well as a centre-back.

It is guaranteed to be a busy summer at Old Trafford due to a number of big-name players departing. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Nemanja Matic are all out of contract, while Cristiano Ronaldo 's future remains uncertain. Mirror Football has also learned that Ten Hag wants to keep the five-time Ballon d'Or winner at the club and the incoming gaffer is set to hold virtual meetings with each member of the squad over Zoom.

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