Over the next week or so we might find out just how much of a gambler Erik ten Hag is and just how quickly he wants to imprint his own philosophy on this Manchester United squad.
There’s no doubt the 53-year-old had to compromise last season. This isn’t yet his squad and there are square pieces being shoved into round holes when it comes to how Ten Hag wants to play the game.
That is most clearly the case in goal. It took 180 minutes of football for Ten Hag to realise David de Gea didn’t have the skillset he needed with his feet to fulfil the role he wanted from his goalkeeper.
Rather than playing out from the back, building attacks methodically and playing through the press, De Gea started to go longer more often, reducing the risk of a repeat of the soft goal conceded in the 4-0 defeat to Brentford in August.
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It only ever reduced the risk, however. There were still times when De Gea went short and mistakes continued to be made with his distribution. It cost United again in Seville in the Europa League.
When those mistakes started to be paired with some softer concessions such as at West Ham and in the FA Cup final, Ten Hag’s doubts began to grow. Now, it really is decision time.
De Gea has 10 days left of his United contract and by next weekend his 12-year, 545-game spell at Old Trafford might be over. The chances of an extension being signed have receded recently, but club sources have insisted it’s still not impossible.
Whether it does get signed might well depend on the kind of progress United make in the transfer market over the next week and a half. Sourcing a replacement who fits the bill for Ten Hag won’t be simple and it won’t be cheap.
Andre Onana is clearly an ideal fit, having played under Ten Hag at Ajax. Inter Milan might be forced to cash in to alleviate their own financial issues. Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa is someone United have been linked with extensively and they admire Brentford’s David Raya. Everton might yet have to sell England’s No. 1, Jordan Pickford.
United might want to have a deal lined up for a De Gea replacement by the time he leaves the club. It might not be completed by June 30, but if there is the confidence that the finances work and the player will come, then Ten Hag might well decide this has become the perfect time to say farewell to De Gea.
The decision becomes more complicated if United are still unclear on the ideal replacement or struggling to advance a deal. Is Ten Hag willing to let De Gea go when there is no guarantee of a replacement coming in? Once the Spaniard does depart, United’s need for a replacement becomes obvious to every club with a goalkeeper who is comfortable with the ball at his feet. The figures involved will only rise.
With Ten Hag after a striker, as well as trying to conclude a deal for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, this is already looking like a complex window. Heading into July without a first-choice goalkeeper in the squad will only add to the levels of stress in the recruitment department.
There is always the possibility of handing the gloves to Dean Henderson, rather than selling him, with Nottingham Forest keen to make that move permanent. That’s not a perfect solution, however, and it will be a 12-month audition for Henderson.
Maybe over the next 10 days United will move closer to singing Onana, or Costa, or Pickford. But if they don’t then there is a decision to make. Does Ten Hag compromise for another year or gamble on heading into pre-season without knowing who his first-choice goalkeeper will be?
