John Murtough is risking Manchester United transfer strategy with Erik ten Hag targets

The sight of John Murtough and Erik ten Hag being pictured together on the Old Trafford pitch at the latter's unveiling was a clear sign that it's the men from Longsight and Haaksbergen who are tasked with piecing Manchester United back together.

Club officials have been determined to point out that Murtough is the man in charge of a streamlined recruitment operation this summer. Having been appointed football director in March 2021, his influence has grown under Richard Arnold in recent months.

This has been part of United's attempt to finally instil a proper football structure into their operation. Andy O'Boyle has been appointed as Murtough's deputy and Darren Fletcher's responsibilities as technical director will be streamlined this season.

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That will allow Murtough to focus all of his time on first-team affairs and along with Ten Hag he needs to rebuild a fractured squad that is lacking quality in key areas. There is a lot of work to be done.

United insist the changes in their recruitment department this year will allow them to focus more on data analysis, but in Murtough's first summer on the job, it's becoming clear that while he might be at the sharp end of negotiating deals, this is Ten Hag's transfer window.

Every elite manager is used to working in this kind of structure now. They might get a veto on transfers they don't want and they can suggest targets as well, but it's usually the football director and his team that are plotting a course.

But United's targets this summer all have one thing in common: Ten Hag. Murtough is happy to try and progress those deals but by doing so he is essentially hitching himself to the wagon of the new