Manchester United's transfer failures have been going on for more than a decade, even into the final years of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign. However, Erik ten Hag must take responsibility for some of the decisions.
Ten Hag pushed through the £85m signing of Antony from Ajax in August 2022, which is widely regarded as one of the worst deals in United's history. Ten Hag also approved the £55m signing of the injury-prone Mason Mount from Chelsea a year later.
In the summer of 2023, Ten Hag was determined to pursue Rasmus Hojlund, then 20 years old, as a solution to the Red Devils' goalscoring problem. However, that was a mistake, not because of Hojlund but because of the players that Man United missed out on.
Harry Kane was once a top target for Man United but was rejected because he did not press as often as Ten Hag requested. However, in reality, convincing the England striker to move to Old Trafford is not easy, even if Man United wanted to.
Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney have also been ruled out, but sources told ESPN Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins is seriously under consideration. Hojlund is too young and should be a solution for the future.
Ten Hag said after the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa that Hojlund was United's "best scorer". However, the Dane only managed 17 goals in 48 appearances. Hojlund also finished 25th in the Premier League scoring charts last season with 10 goals.
By comparison, Watkins scored 19 goals to help Villa secure Champions League qualification. The England striker also provided the most assists last season (13), two more than Chelsea's Cole Palmer. Bruno Fernandes has assisted eight goals for Man United, while no other player has more than four.
Hojlund can still prove himself to be a player for the future, but Ten Hag should sign a proven goalscorer, not just a youngster with untapped potential.
In the 2024-2025 season, Watkins continued his impressive form with 4 goals and 2 assists after 7 rounds. The English striker contributed greatly to helping the Villa Park team rank 5th on the rankings.
On the contrary, Ten Hag's attack has been a big disappointment with only 5 goals in the Premier League since the beginning of the season. That number is only better than Southampton, the team ranked 19th in the Premier League (4 goals). The "Red Devils" are also going through a series of 3 consecutive matches without scoring in the tournament.
