Manchester United kicked off the Erik ten Hag era in style with a 4-0 thumping of arch-rivals Liverpool. During the course of the first half, the Dutch manager played Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford up front while in the second half, young Amad Diallo played up top. While all three did relatively well, they are not out-and-out strikers.
It also showed the lack of options at Ten Hag‘s disposal. Following Edinson Cavani‘s exit and the uncertainty surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo‘s future, it is imperative that United strengthen in attack. preference
๐จ – Brian Brobbey has a clear prereference in returning to Ajax but Manchester United will become an option for him once negotiations are starting to take too long. His agent is working hard for a solution to RB Leipzig's big asking price of โฌ25M. [via @MikeVerweij] pic.twitter.com/KGAsWPlKmH
— ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ (@TheEuropeanLad) July 11, 2022
Despite previous reports stating that Brian Brobbey has decided on moving to Ajax with United accepting defeat in their chase, news has emerged which could be music to the ears of Ten Hag.
According to German publication BILD, the deal between RB Leipzig and Ajax has stalled after the Dutch champions refused to pay more than โฌ15 million for the striker.
And now Dutch daily De Telegraaf have stated that the Red Devils might still look to hijack the deal. The 20-year-old initially wanted to return to Amsterdam but if the deal takes too long to complete, he would be open to joining the Premier League giants.
Before the English club entered the scene, Leipzig would have gladly accepted Ajax’s fee as the player himself was not happy in the Bundesliga and fancied a return to the Eredivisie.
But United’s entry has meant the German club have increased their valuation as they are aware that the Reds could potentially pay much more for a player who has a contract till 2025.
Brobbey suits ETH demands
Ten Hag had personally called Brobbey, who had shone in the second half of last season during his loan stint at Ajax, to try and convince him about making a move to the Premier League.
The Dutch champions were in advanced talks with the Dutch youngster’s parent club RB Leipzig and despite Ten Hag’s intervention, United had accepted defeat in the chase.
Brobbey, an Ajax youth product, netted seven times and recorded one assist in 11 games. The impressive part about the numbers he recorded during his loan stint was the fact that he started only six times and even recovered from a medial collateral ligament knee injury during that time.
Having worked under United’s current boss, Brobbey knows what the manager wants to play and is no stranger to putting in the hard yards. However, he is not seen as the finished product yet and his ability to adapt to the Premier League at this stage of his career remains a doubt.
Ten Hag also remains interested in acquiring Ajax winger Antony. He has already mentioned in his press conference that strengthening the attack is a priority for him.