If Erik ten Hag had any concerns about the belief Manchester United bosses had in him, they were surely dismissed after his first window in charge.
The Dutchman quickly made it clear when swapping Ajax for Old Trafford that he wanted the final say when it came to recruitment. “I set requirements in advance about how I want to work. If they aren’t granted, I won’t. I am ultimately responsible and accounted for the results,” he said shortly after his appointment.
And reflecting on his first foray into the transfer market, it is clear to see Ten Hag’s influence was a deciding factor. Both Antony and Lisandro Martinez were in his Ajax squad last term, before becoming United players at a combined cost of £140million.
It is understood the latter of those, Martinez, was only signed after he managed to convince the United hierarchy he was a better option than Pau Torres. The Villarreal defender had been identified as the preferred target, but Ten Hag insisted the diminutive Argentine was the better option.
Martinez is already proving his worth to United as well, having endured early season struggles to become a regular in Ten Hag’s back four. Along with the Ajax pair, Christian Eriksen was signed, having trained with the Dutch champions last season, whilst Tyrell Malacia had played against them for PSV.
However, that doesn’t mean the new boss had it all his own way, with at least two targets he identified, ultimately not making the move. The first of those was Sergino Dest, with the right-back picked out to provide competition to Diogo Dalot and the ostracised Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The Athletic reported that Ten Hag had hoped to sign the 21-year-old from Barcelona, but saw his request rejected by United chiefs. Instead, he was told he would need to stick with Wan-Bissaka, although he remains firmly behind Dalot in the pecking order for regular starts.
Marko Arnautovic was another name linked with a summer transfer - albeit one which came as somewhat of a surprise. The 33-year-old, who left West Ham in 2019, was touted as a makeshift option to help United out of a pinch in the centre-forward position.
Cristiano Ronaldo ’s precarious situation, twinned with injury concerns over Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, left Ten Hag feeling he needed extra reinforcements. Arnautovic was coming off a season where he notched 14 Serie A goals for Bologna.
United are said to have lodged a bid in the region of £8m to sign the Austrian international;, but saw that knocked back by the Italian club. The pursuit was then ended after a concerted backlash from concerned supporters.
The U-turn was completed following a response from United fans in regards to previous comments the forward made. Arnautovic had been accused of using an anti-Albanian slur during Austria’s game against North Macedonia at Euro 2020 – with UEFA issuing him a one-match ban after the incident.
Arnautovic strongly denied any allegations he was a racist, but United decided to shelve any plans to sign him. And while any type of short-term deal would have been highly divisive, his performances on the pitch suggest Ten Hag knew exactly what he was looking for.
Going into the first international break, Arnautovic has six goals in seven Serie A matches and is the leading scorer in the Italian top flight. That kind of an eye for a potential bargain can only bode well for Ten Hag, ahead of further talks with the club’s owners, the Glazers. Reports have suggested he could be given another £100m to spend at the turn of the year, with the Sun stating he wants to sign another three players.
“We will have many meetings, we have to improve the structures in and around the club," Ten Hag said before the international break. "We will also look to the window in January or next summer already. But, also to improve our way of play by making plans.”
United will be quickly determining just how much control to cede the new boss when it comes to recruitment. But Arnautovic’s blistering start to the season should help to convince bosses he can be emphatically trusted.
