Man Utd: 113-goal star 'last thing Ten Hag needed' at Old Trafford

Manchester United transfer target Marko Arnautovic was the last thing the club needed right now with the forward prone to putting himself before the team, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Erik ten Hag has overseen an underwhelming summer transfer window at Old Trafford but remains on the lookout for new recruits ahead of the September 1 deadline.

United have been chasing a forward this summer but have so far been luckless in their pursuits.

Ajax winger Antony now appears to be beyond their reach with the Dutch champions upping their asking price to £84 million. Meanwhile, Red Bull Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko is set to move to RB Leipzig in the summer of 2023, leaving United short of options.

Still, it was a surprise to many when former West Ham and Stoke City forward Marko Arnautovic emerged as a potential target.

The 33-year-old made the move to Bologna in the summer of 2021 after agreeing to rip-up his £200,000 per-week contract with Shanghai Port.

United have reportedly made an opening bid of £7.5 million for the 102-cap Austria international but it is not an approach that has gone down well.

BBC pundit Chris Sutton was scathing in his analysis, saying: “It’s a real wrong move in terms of the eyes of the supporters. There are a million other players out there United should have been linked with. I do not get that.

“It’s an absolute PR disaster. If Arnautovic comes in, that’s going to put Ten Hag under so much pressure.”

The Athletic have since reported, however, that the Red Devils have pulled out of a move for the player with complaints from fans a contributing factor.

Jones understands that Arnautovic has not always been the easiest player to work with, reporting incidents of selfishness from the experienced