Erik ten Hag forgot to mention Premier League leaders Arsenal when listing the depth of the competition Manchester United face.
The Gunners sit top of the Premier League during the break for the World Cup, five points clear of defending champions Manchester City. Mikel Arteta’s side have been exceptional, winning 12 of their 14 league matches, with their one defeat coming at Old Trafford against United in September.
That 3-1 win for Ten Hag’s side may go some way to explaining why the Dutchman did not think of them when assessing the increased competition in the Premier League. Speaking to reporters while discussing the Glazer family’s attempts to sell United, Ten Hag explained why investment was so important.
“There’s a change in circumstances when you compare [the Premier League] with five or 10 years ago. The competition is much tougher,” he said.
“ Newcastle are coming, even West Ham, maybe not now in the table but they have huge investment.
“Spurs, definitely, and I don’t need to talk about [Manchester] City and Liverpool or Chelsea. You can quickly count seven or eight clubs that can compete in this league.
“It’s also about strategy, not just money. But it’s clear that when you don’t have the right players and quality players you will not be successful and achieve the targets you set.”
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The Glazer family announced last month that they are seeking a sale of the club they have owned since 2005. The American billionaires have hired the Raine Group to find suitable parties and hope to move forward quickly with the process.
The break in the season for the World Cup has given Ten Hag time to speak with United chief executive Richard Arnold about the potential. change of ownership. The former Ajax boss has been reassured that it will benefit the club.
“There will be more investment possible which is good,” he said. “We spoke about the culture we want, we spoke about objectives, goals and the culture and he confirmed it won’t change. It will be even better because more money will become available for this project.”
The Glazer family bought United for £790m ($1.34bn) in 2005, but have been heavily criticised by fans for their approach since. The American family has not invested more money since then – and have even loaded the club with debt and taken money out via dividend payments.
United will be back in action against Burnley in the Carabao Cup on December 21 before a return to the Premier League against Nottingham Forest on December 27. They are currently fifth in the table, three points off the top four, with a game in hand.
Arsenal, meanwhile, face West Ham on Boxing Day after playing Juventus in a friendly on Saturday.
