Manchester United have four positions to discuss in recruitment meetings with Erik ten Hag

The September internationals are later than usual and so is Manchester United's first recruitment meeting of the season.

Despite appearances to the contrary, United prepare for a summer transfer window almost as soon as the previous one shuts. The frantic summer they have just emerged from was of their own making - a managerial sacking, caretaker and interim appointments, as well as the resignations of seasoned deal-makers.

The turnaround from the chief executive heading off disgruntled fans bound for his home at a Cheshire pub to addressing every area of the squad, crowning deadline day with a third consecutive win, was drastic. United remain above Liverpool, at the time of writing.

Also read: United mastered Ten Hag's style with 14 passes

Any notion United have a complete squad was dismissed by the manager on, of all platforms, the club's in-house television channel.

"We have many meetings, we have to improve the structures in and around the club, we will do," Erik ten Hag replied to an innocuous question from MUTV. "We will also look to the window in January or next summer already."

A United staff member joked they would issue a banning order to the first journalist who wrote about the winter window when Ten Hag has created the first headline.

United do not have any pressing plans to add to the £225.4million they invested in four players in the close season and there have to be more outgoings than incomings across the two windows in 2023. That gives Ten Hag leverage to enhance the squad.

He is left with Aaron Wan-Bissaka until at least the new year and the right-back has become so undependable he was listed on the substitutes' bench against Real Sociedad yet took a seat in the directors' box as kick-off loomed.

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