Erik ten Hag will reportedly be given ‘around £120m’ to begin his rebuild at Manchester United after being confirmed as the club’s new permanent manager.
Ten Hag will take charge of the Red Devils in the summer after agreeing to move to the Premier League from Ajax and plans are underway for a rebuild of the side at Old Trafford.
The Times are reporting that the Dutchman will be given ‘around £120m’ to invest in the squad and Ten Hag has already been linked with a return to Ajax for Antony and Lisandro Martinez.
Antony has been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent windows after impressing in the Eredivise, with the Brazilian winger having scored 12 goals and provided 10 assists across all competitions this season.
Ten Hag is a huge admirer of the 22-year-old – who has become a regular with Brazil after making his debut in October – and Antony is believed to be valued in the region of £55m.
Martinez is another player who has impressed under Ten Hag at Ajax, having made 120 appearances across the last three seasons for the Dutch side.
The Argentina international could bolster the club’s options at centre-back and has also operated in a defensive midfield role.
Midfield remains an area of focus for the Red Devils and Ten Hag’s arrival could hand Donny van de Beek a second chance with the club.
The Dutchman thrived under his compatriot’s guidance at Ajax, but has struggled to make an impact in the Premier League and signed on loan for Everton in January.
Kalvin Phillips is also viewed as a potential addition in midfield, with the Leeds star considered a cheaper alternative to England teammate Declan Rice, who is valued at £150m by West Ham.
United are expected to oversee mass changes in the squad this summer with a number of names to leave as free agents. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani and Nemanja Matic are all set to depart when their contracts expire this summer, whilst further transfer funds could be raised through sales.
Anthony Martial, Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Andreas Pereira could all leave after peripheral roles this season.
United have been linked with a whole host of transfer targets in recent weeks with interim boss Ralf Rangnick having said as many as ‘six, seven, maybe ten’ players could arrive in the summer.
Darwin Nunez and Christopher Nkunku have both been linked as potential forward options, but with each valued in the region of £60m it will take more investment than has been promised to bring in multiple high-quality additions.
