There aren’t many takers for Erik ten Hag’s transfer policy at Man Utd, but he did succeed with Lisandro Martinez, however, even that isn’t without regret.
An argument can be made that Man Utd are still reeling from the effects of backing Erik ten Hag unilaterally in the transfer market.
Paying £85m for Antony was a curious move when it happened, and it is indefensible with the evidence of the passing time.
Who are you backing in Paul Scholes and Lisandro Martinez’s war of words?
Paul Scholes and Lisandro Martinez have reignited their feud after the Manchester derby…
Lisandro Martinez comments made towards Paul Scholes after the Manchester derby.
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It sums up United’s luck that amid all the backing for Ten Hag, the one time he failed to engineer a reunion has aged as a big error.
Arsenal v Manchester United - Emirates FA Cup Third Round
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Erik ten Hag’s story of chasing Jurrien Timber
From Martinez to Antony and Sabitzer to Wout Weghorst, Ten Hag was on a mission to recreate his thrilling Ajax side.
Among his targets was Jurrien Timber, who was at, you guessed it, Ajax at the time, and United were credited with serious interest.
United were looking for defensive reinforcements, and Ten Hag tried to convince Jurrien Timber to sign for the club in a reported £38m deal.
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The deal had picked up so much pace that Louis van Gaal publicly warned Timber that his World Cup place could be under threat if he moved to Old Trafford.
Ultimately, he spent another year at Ajax, the 2022/23 season, and was on the move again in the summer of 2023.
Ten Hag and United were there again, but this time, Timber didn’t see United as an attractive project anymore despite the manager’s best efforts.
He ultimately signed for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, and despite some brutal injuries, has emerged as one of the top defenders in the league.
Timber’s development has made Man Utd miss a big error
The journey at Arsenal didn’t start off right for Timber, as he tore his ACL just 50 minutes into his competitive debut.
Imagine you are Jason Wilcox… what transfer business would you do before deadline day?
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Director of football Jason Wilcox in action during a first-team training session at the Carrington training complex in 2025 in Manchester, England.
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However, once he came through that setback, which spoke volumes about his mentality, he has solidified himself as one of the best defenders in the league.
United, particularly, could have used him well, as Diogo Dalot has been struggling to make a mark despite repeated opportunities.
His ability to play three positions – RB, CB, and CDM makes him an ideal asset to any team, and considering United bought players for all of those positions in the last year or so, Timber’s failed reunion is a big error.
United can at least rest easy knowing that in this case, they were proactive and tried to convince him, but it just wasn’t to be.
However, in an ideal world, it shouldn’t even have come to a battle against Arsenal, had they just signed him in 2022 instead, when they were busy splashing £85m on Antony.
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