Transfers, coaching, Ronaldo, Maguire and Pogba are just the tip of the iceberg for Erik ten Hag at Manchester United

Erik ten Hag is set to be appointed as the new Manchester United manager according to a string of reports, but he has plenty of work to do. When Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down, David Moyes was appointed and while many were sceptical of his ability to match his predecessor’s achievements, few believed that a drop-off in the club’s performances would be so stark. Ad/> Perhaps yet more unexpected is that each time the current disaster was replaced by the next disaster, there were reasons for optimism.

Under Louis van Gaal there was the giddiness of Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and others. Jose Mourinho had Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and even Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eventually received Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho and Harry Maguire. Every time, disappointment and underachievement followed.

Premier LeagueMan Utd set to appoint Ten Hag in next few days – reports16 HOURS AGO That has apparently given Ten Hag the confidence to demand more control, including the final say on transfers when working with the club hierarchy, and a determination to overhaul the squad to feature younger players. Here are his priorities for the coming season. Harry Maguire and the rest of the defence There seems no obvious reason for Harry Maguire to have failed at Manchester United, but there is probably no other way to describe it at this point.