Erik ten Hag says Manchester United spent more than planned in inflated transfer market

United set to spend club record £227m as part of rebuild under Ten Hag

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag (Manchester United via Getty Images)

Erik ten Hag has admitted that Manchester United have spent more than they originally planned to during this summer’s transfer window due to an inflated market.

United are set to complete the €100m (£85m) signing of Antony from Ajax in the coming days, which is expected to be the final permanent signing of the window before Thursday’s deadline.

Antony’s arrival will take United’s total outlay on players this summer up to a record-breaking £227m, surpassing the respective £151m and £148m expenditures during Louis van Gaal and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full windows in charge.

Ten Hag is set to end the window without his priority midfield target Frenkie de Jong, who is expected to stay at Barcelona, but is preparing for Antony and back-up goalkeeper Martin Dubravka to join his four other signings.

Casemiro was announced as a United player in a potential £70m deal from Real Madrid last week and followed the arrivals of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.

Yet United’s window only picked up pace after a poor start to the season which saw Ten Hag’s tenure begin with back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford.

Having previously chased relatively low-budget options such as Marko Arnautovic and Adrien Rabiot, United launched their pursuit of Casemiro and revived longstanding interest in Antony.

When asked whether more money was made available for transfers after United’s miserable start to the new campaign, Ten Hag said: “It’s difficult to answer that question. It’s hypothetical. You never know how things go, if you are earlier or later. It’s a process.

“First, we really quickly identified the positions we wanted and then identified the players we wanted. The process is if you get them or not. More parties are involved, there are many factors who make it complicated. Then the market and how it developed.

“Last season, the benchmark was only five transfers above £60m and I don’t know how many now.

Ten Hag suggested that while money was always available for signings, the budget was increased due to an inflated market. “There was always money,” he added. “They made adaptations because of how the market was and I think the club did that well.”

United are likely to end the window as one of the biggest spenders in European football, with only Andreas Pereira and Dylan Levitt leaving the club for fees of £10m and £300k respectively. James Garner, the young midfielder, is set to join Everton in a deal worth approximately £15m.

Ten Hag insisted that he is happy with the club’s business this summer and feels that spending is necessary in order to be competitive.

“All the top clubs spent a lot of money in the summer. That is how the market has developed. I can’t do nothing for it. Nobody can do anything for it. It’s the market. We have to accept it,” he said.

“I think we’ve strengthened the squad, that is clear. As a manager you always want more. What I demand from my players, I have to show myself as well.

“You always want to maximise but at a certain point you also have to be satisfied with what is there. It’s about development of the team, the individuals, to get this team stronger and have more consistency and bring more quality. That is what me and my coaches have to work for now.”