Manchester United are edging closer towards completing their first signings of the summer.
As revealed by the Manchester Evening News on Wednesday, United have agreed fees with Feyenoord and Barcelona, respectively, to sign left-back Tyrell Malacia and central-midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
Should all go to plan and no late snags be encountered, the duo will become United's first signings of the Erik ten Hag era. United hope to add them both to the squad ahead of flying out to Thailand for the start of the pre-season tour next Friday [July 8].
READ MORE: Six United careers could be defined by Erik ten Hag's first season
United will hope that their impending arrivals will signal the beginning of a domino-effect in their recruitment drive, with the club still hoping to add more players to the squad. Ten Hag is understood to want to bring in five new faces this summer.
And with Malacia and De Jong edging closer towards joining United, and the club continuing to monitor Ajax duo Lisandro Martinez and Antony, MEN Sport has taken a look at what Ten Hag has had to say about all of them in the past.
Tyrell Malacia - Feyenoord
Although Ten Hag has never worked with Malacia, he did watch him face his Ajax side five times in Feyenoord colours. The 22-year-old left-back, who is renowned for bombing forward and getting high up the pitch, was linked with a move to Ajax from Feyenoord last summer, meaning Ten Hag was forced into addressing the ongoing speculation.
Ten Hag said: "We do think he is a good player, yes. A transfer for Malacia to us is not an issue in the first place. Before we get all speculations again; it does not play at all.
"We can accommodate a departure of [Nicolas] Tagliafico within our current selection. If it is really necessary, we have a shadow list indeed. Whether Malacia is on that list? I'm not going to tell you."
Lisandro Martinez - Ajax
Martinez continues to be heavily linked with a move to both Arsenal and United in this summer's window. The Gunners have already lodged bids for him while United are yet to make their first official move.
It remains to be seen where he will end up by the end of the window, but his past working relationship with Ten Hag might be what wins this particular battle for United. He can operate at centre-back, left-back and in defensive-midfield, meaning his qualities have often been hailed.
"I find Lisandro Martinez an excellent player, he is actually starting material and this is why I talk with him a lot," said Ten Hag. "But he has a lot of competition with Daley Blind, Tagliafico and Gravenberch. I can only start 11 players."
Frenkie de Jong - Barcelona
United are edging closer towards signing Ten Hag's top transfer target in De Jong. Although he is not a defensive midfielder, he will add guaranteed talent to United's squad, something Ten Hag knows all about after working with his fellow countryman at Ajax, ahead of him joining Barcelona in 2019.
Ten Hag, waxing lyrical about De Jong, said: "He is always calm and always has the solution. He scans so well that he always knows how to go forward. You can hardly put him under pressure - that is such a great gift."
In a separate interview, Ten Hag added: "You saw his incredible talent, but where do we have to use him to get the best out of him and his talent? Eventually I decided to play with two 'No.6 players' on the pitch.
"Once I did this you saw how much better he became on the pitch, and how much better he made the whole team play and especially the attackers."
Antony - Ajax
Determined to strengthen United's right-wing options, Ten Hag has identified Ajax's Brazilian ace Antony as his top target. But despite his undisputed levels of talent, Ten Hag, in March this year, warned the winger that he still had plenty to learn after receiving a second yellow card for taking his shirt off while celebrating a goal.
Ten Hag said: "Unnecessarily, he still has to learn that. But I am also happy to have players with that temperament. You also need them. He is still young, but don't forget that he has also got an incredible kick."
As well as that, Ten Hag also highlighted Antony's importance to Ajax, adding: "If Antony were to go, it would be a loss for Ajax, because you have no one in the current selection who can take over his position. He is top class."
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