Erik ten Hag has admitted he has no idea how much money he has to spend on strengthening his Manchester United squad this summer.
United’s protracted takeover saga means Ten Hag’s summer spending plans are up in the air, while the future of the club and its ownership remains unclear.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham are the two big names on Ten Hag’s wanted list this summer, with United poised for a top-four finish and an immediate return to the Champions League.
Third and final bids for United were submitted last Friday, but current owners the Glazers are still no closer to accepting an offer for the club they value at £6billion.
Ten Hag acknowledged the uncertainty over the club’s future ownership has had a knock-on effect on his summer transfer strategy, with the Dutchman no closer to knowing which players he can target.
Asked if he knew how much he has to spend this summer on new players, Ten Hag said: “No, I don’t have influence on that, I don’t have and also I don’t know.
“The only thing I know is that Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, one of the biggest two or three from a fanbase perspective.
“The club has to compete for the highest in the world - the Champions League and Premier League.
“But in football you need funds to construct squads because, at end of the day, the level of your players decides if you are successful or not.
“Everyone knows you need funds to construct a squad and high level players cost a lot of money. That’s the situation nowadays in top football.
“I think it’s clear what I want, but it’s not up to me. It’s about others in this club. The family are the owners, they make the decisions, it’s not up to me. I do everything I can and I influence the processes that I’m in charge of.
“Where I can take my influence, I will do, in terms of processes, but that is not my job or responsibility, so I don’t have the power to influence that.
“I’m focusing on improving the squad, the team development, so I have to make sure the team is progressing and I’m focusing on that.”
United can take a big step towards a top-four finish and Champions League football next season with victory at Brighton tonight.
Ten Hag reckons his side, who beat Brighton in a penalty shoot-out last month to reach the FA Cup final, are ready to return to the Champions League.
“Yeah, I think so,” said Ten Hag. “But of course we see this as a project and the project also belongs in your windows, when you strengthen your squad needs or make investments, so you get more balance, and maybe you bring young players in.
“I think we've already shown improvement and that we can beat the best teams in the world.
“I think we can compete in the Champions League. I think we’ve shown we can compete, but we want to knock them all out and there’s still some way to go.”
