Man Utd's 'adult Disneyland' pitch to Jurgen Klopp sums up problem Erik ten Hag faces

Manchester United were billed as an "adult version of Disneyland" when Ed Woodward attempted to lure Jurgen Klopp eight years ago.

Woodward, the club's then-executive vice-chairman, was the man delivering the sales pitch, which left the German less than impressed. It didn't completely turn him off the idea of taking charge at Old Trafford, but by no means had the desired effect.

United were on the brink of sacking David Moyes, less than a year into the job, and had set their sights on Klopp, who was still in charge at Borussia Dortmund. In the end, the Red Devils would opt for Louis van Gaal whilst Klopp would stay in Germany before eventually arriving in England with Liverpool after rejecting United.

It was stated in a biography of Klopp, Bring the Noise: "Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had flown out to see Klopp in Germany. David Moyes' short tenure at Old Trafford was coming to an end, and Klopp was United's favourite to replace him, to bring back a sense of adventure to the Red Devils' game.

"Woodward told Klopp that the Theatre of Dreams was 'like an adult version of Disneyland', a mythical place where, as the nickname suggested, the entertainment was world class and dreams came true. Klopp wasn't entirely convinced by that sales pitch — he found it a bit 'unsexy', he told a friend — but he didn't dismiss the proposition out of hand either.”

The vision of what United's chief thought they were became increasingly evident. Months after his conversation with Klopp United were spending huge sums. They signed Radamel Falcao on loan, handing him big wages after a period out injured. He would go on to score just four times.

Angel di Maria was signed for a then club-record fee but offloaded 12