How Man Utd Might Look with Erik ten Hag’s ‘Dream Signings’ After Harry Kane Comment
Manchester United’s lineup today might have looked very different if Erik ten Hag had been able to sign the four players he really wanted.
Ten Hag’s time at Man United ended sadly in October 2024 after winning only three of his first nine Premier League games. His former teammate and close friend Hans Kraay Jr said Ten Hag was “completely devastated” by the club’s decision to let him go.
In a chat with The Athletic, Ten Hag talked openly about his time at Old Trafford. He mentioned “broken promises” from the owners after he signed a one-year contract extension in 2024, following their FA Cup win over Manchester City. He was also upset that the club sold young academy player Scott McTominay to Napoli for £25.7 million that summer, and that none of his four dream signings ever came through.
It was well known that Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong was his top midfield target. United even negotiated for weeks, but De Jong chose not to join. Ten Hag then tried to sign Declan Rice from West Ham, but West Ham didn’t want to sell, and Rice ended up going to Arsenal for £105 million in 2023.
“The problem was West Ham didn’t want to let him go. Maybe we could’ve pushed harder,” Ten Hag said. “At United, you need outstanding players.”
Harry Kane was the one striker Ten Hag really wanted. “I told them, ‘I only want one player – you know who,’” he said. He meant Kane, who was 30 at the time. Ten Hag fought hard for him and heard Kane was interested, but never spoke directly with Kane. He’s not sure how the club’s decision process went.
Since then, Kane has been incredible for Bayern, scoring 157 goals in 155 games and is a top candidate to win the Ballon d’Or.
Ten Hag also said United reached out to Brighton to ask about Danny Welbeck, who had been at the club for 13 years before leaving in 2014. Another forward he wanted was Brian Brobbey, a player he coached at Ajax who Sunderland signed last summer and who scored 10 Premier League goals last season.
Had those dream signings – especially Rice and Kane – arrived, Ten Hag might still be managing United today. If so, the lineup might have looked something like this:
In goal, Andre Onana, who despite some tough times, played more under Ten Hag than anyone else. Diogo Dalot would be starting at right back, and Lisandro Martinez alongside Matthijs de Ligt in central defense, with Luke Shaw on the left.
Rice would join McTominay in midfield if he had stayed, with Bruno Fernandes playing ahead of them. Bryan Mbeumo might have come in on the right wing, with Marcus Rashford on the left. Kane would lead the attack, while Brobbey and Welbeck would be strong options off the bench.
So, the full lineup could have been: Onana; Dalot, De Ligt, Martinez, Shaw; Rice, McTominay, Fernandes, Mbeumo, Rashford; Kane.
It’s interesting to imagine how different things might have been if those key signings had happened!