Erik ten Hag is no longer the Manchester United manager, after being sacked on Monday following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham United.
The Dutchman oversaw £175m worth of spending in his final transfer window in charge of Manchester United, though, bringing in Manuel Ugarte, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Lenny Yoro. Ten Hag failed to get his squad firing, however, and faced the sack as the club sat 14th in the Premier League after nine games.
He also failed in the pursuit of one key target in the summer transfer window, which would have reunited Jonny Evans with one of his former team-mates at Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag wanted Danny Welbeck at Manchester United
According to The Athletic, Manchester United were urged to bring in Danny Welbeck on a free transfer by Ten Hag, with the Brighton striker’s contract set to expire at the end of the 2023/24 season.
The report suggests that Ten Hag saw the 33-year-old as the ideal replacement for Anthony Martial, and would provide great back-up to Rasmus Hojlund as he continued to settle in at Old Trafford. Welbeck opted against a return to Manchester United, instead putting pen to paper on a new two-year deal that keeps him at Brighton until the summer of 2026.
It’s looked a brilliant decision, too, with his six Premier League goals – one coming against Manchester United – in nine games this season a great return for a player who has never hit double figures in a single league campaign.
Welbeck left Manchester United a decade ago, at the beginning of the 2014/15 season. New manager Louis van Gaal didn’t see the Englishman as part of his plans, selling him to Arsenal for £16m. If Manchester United had re-signed Welbeck, though, it would have been the second player to return to the club after leaving during the Van Gaal era.
Indeed, Jonny Evans came back to Old Trafford in 2023 after leaving in 2015, going on to make 30 appearances in all competitions under Ten Hag last term. Evans and Welbeck spent six seasons together during their early careers at Manchester United.
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In FourFourTwo‘s opinion, it would have been smart to re-sign Danny Welbeck on a free transfer, though clearly the club wanted to focus on younger talent such as Zirkzee. Welbeck looks to have made the right decision for his career, as he starts games more regularly than he would’ve expected to back at Old Trafford.
Manchester United take on Chelsea this weekend when Premier League action returns.
