^ ^ Erik ten Hag reveals the four players Man Utd stopped him from signing

Ten Hag left United two years ago (Picture: Shutterstock)

Erik ten Hag has blasted Manchester United for failing to bring in Harry Kane and Declan Rice during his time at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his three seasons in Manchester before being relieved of his duties in October 2024.

The former Ajax boss has now spoken out on some of the biggest incidents from his time at the club in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic.

Among the topics, ten Hag opened up on his falling out with Cristiano Ronaldo, accusing the legendary forward of letting him and the team down leading up to his acrimonious departure from the club in November 2022.

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16 players arrived at United during ten Hag’s tenure with many of them failing to meet expectations, including Rasmus Hojlund who was sold at a loss to Napoli in the summer. He arrived in Manchester in 2023 during a summer where United were initially eager to bring in a more experienced centre forward with Kane their leading target.

Kane, then aged 30, was still at Tottenham with just one year left on his contract with ten Hag desperate to sign him.

‘I said to them [the United board], “I want only one player — and you know who”.’

Kane was pursued by United but joined Bayern in 2023 (Picture: Getty Images)

No deal was ever struck with ten Hag revealing he was kept in the dark by chief executive Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough before being told the move was not possible with Kane going on to join Bayern Munich.

‘I fought for it. I heard that he was very positive, but I never spoke with him about the issue,’ ten Hag said. ‘I don’t know how the decision process went with John, Richard, the Glazers.

‘They came to the conclusion. I don’t have the insights in the financials.’

In his first summer at the club, United pursued a move for Frenkie de Jong, agreeing a fee with Barcelona at one stage only for him to reject the club.

Ten Hag also wanted Rice (Picture: 2026 James Gill – Danehouse)

Ten Hag says he then shifted his focus to Declan Rice, who joined Arsenal for a club record £105m deal in the summer of 2023. The manager was again left feeling the club did not do enough to make the deal happen.

‘The issue was that West Ham didn’t want to let him go. I think we could have done more to test. We were on one page, they tried, but I don’t know how the process went. The point is, at United you need outstanding players.’

Welbeck joined Chelsea this summer (Picture: Getty)

United missed out on two other centre forwards during ten Hag’s tenure. In 2022, ten Hag was eager to bring in Brian Brobbey to provide support for Ronaldo with the centre forward now starring for Sunderland. Two years later, a move to bring Danny Welbeck was explored but the Athletic report a changes at executive level meant there was never any formal offer made.

‘At first, not everyone was aligned,’ ten Hag said of the interest in Brobbey. ‘Then we convinced him, but then we were late, and already he was in a different process.’

On the Welbeck interest, he said: ‘For sure, we were in contact. Not me, often Darren (Fletcher, then United technical director). And he was very interested.’

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^ ^ Roberto De Zerbi reacts to Andy Robertson, Tosin Adarabioyo and Omar Marmoush injury concerns

Roberto De Zerbi sounded confident about his players who were taken off (Picture: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur’s win over Coventry City on Monday could have been spoiled by a trio of injury concerns, but Roberto De Zerbi is confident the issues were ‘nothing important’.

Spurs finally got their first win of the Premier League season as they beat Coventry 3-1 in north London thanks to goals from James Maddison, Omar Marmoush and Ben Davies.

It was a morale-boosting night for De Zerbi and his men as Maddison started a Premier League game for the first time in well over a year and scored a brilliant goal, then Dejan Kulusevski returned from the bench, appearing for the first time since May 2025.

However, there were concerns as the trio of Andy Robertson, Tosin Adarabioyo and Marmoush all limped out of the game in the second half.

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Robertson especially looked to be in trouble as he sat on the pitch and signaled that he needed to be substituted.

De Zerbi, though, sounded bright and breezy about the three players after the game, insisting that there was little to worry about.

‘No, no, no, I think there are no injuries, nothing important,’ said the Italian.

Andy Robertson had to go off in the second half (Picture: Getty Images)

Tottenham are back in action on Saturday against Chelsea and already have a number of players out of that match through injury, with Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Savio, Lucas Bergvall and Mykhailo Mudryk sidelined, while Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended.

Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro were not fit to play on Monday night, but could return for the weekend.

Whether De Zerbi was right to be so relaxed about Robertson, Tosin and Marmoush will become clear in the coming days.

The Spurs boss was understandably happy about a great night for the club after a terrible start to the season, not just for the result but also the returning players.

‘Very happy for the result, very happy for Maddison, very happy for Deki Kulusevski,’ he said. ‘I think we played much better in other games, Old Trafford, Aston Villa especially in the first half, Everton especially in the first half, Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, but we didn’t play so well, not for our responsibility.

Omar Marmoush scored his first goal for Tottenham (Picture: Getty Images)

‘But for their credit, for the Coventry credit, because playing against one team who defend so close, so compact with low block, it’s always a very, very tough game. Especially in the first half we didn’t move the ball so fast, I think we have been too predictable, but I knew before the game.

‘We played three at the back I want to explain why, because for the injured players in the midfield position, Conor Gallagher came back two days ago, and at the beginning of the week, the medical staff told me maybe he could be not available to play.

‘Bergvall was injured, Mateus Fernandes worked just the last two days because of his [newborn] son, and I thought three at the back was the best solution to defend the counter-attack, to have more control of the game, and for that I’m happy because we didn’t concede a counter-attack.’

Dejan Kulusevski finally returned for Spurs (Picture: Shutterstock)

De Zerbi admitted that he didn’t really need to bring Kulusevski off the bench for Mohammed Kudus late on, but did so for the ‘suffering’ fans.

‘Listen Kudus, I thought he was playing well, I think he could finish the game, but I thought of Kulusevski just for the fans,’ he said. ‘Just for the fans because they waited (for) him on the pitch and in the last 5-10 minutes for extra time, we needed the support of the fans.

‘And they are fantastic with Kulusevski, with us, they suffered too much in the last three-four seasons, I don’t know, but they deserve to celebrate many, many wins.’

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^ ^ Alan Pardew makes worrying prediction for struggling £67m Arsenal star Eberechi Eze

Former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew (Picture: talkSPORT)

Eberechi Eze’s Arsenal dream is in danger of fizzling out, fears former Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew.

The England international returned to his spiritual home in the summer and enjoyed a glorious homecoming following his high-profile move from the Eagles.

Eze finished his first campaign back in north London as a Premier League winner, but aside from two standout performances against Spurs he largely flattered to deceive and his season culminated in a costly penalty shooutout miss in the Champions League final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

After playing a bit-part role at the World Cup, it has been more of the same for Eze during the opening months of the current season with Martin Odegaard back to full fitness and operating in the No.10 role.

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Hand an opportunity to impress on the left wing on Sunday in the absence of Christos Tzolis but he was hauled off at the break and replaced by eventual matchwinner Noni Madueke.

‘In the way that he sets his No.10 up I don’t see Eze getting a lot of action there,’ a concerned Pardew told talkSPORT.

‘There’s a real defensive side to that position that he likes that Odegaard does that he doesn’t do.

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‘I think Arteta doesn’t feel comfortable with that. I think there’s certain games against perhaps lesser opposition where Eze will be given that No.10 shirt.

‘But I’ve seen him out on that left-hand side for Crystal Palace a few times and it’s just not him, he’s never going to go outside and whip left-footed crosses in.

‘He wants to play centrally and make the game too narrow, therefore you’ve not got enough width. It is a problem and Arteta took him off rightly because it just wasn’t working.

‘But in the first instance maybe he shouldn’t have picked him there and used him off the bench as an impact No.10.

‘I think that will be his role, if he needs a goal I don’t think Eze will be a starter and if they need a moment or he’s looking for a moment to give him the last 10 or 15 minutes of games.’

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^ ^ Gary Neville speaks out on Man Utd dressing room ‘tear up’ after Lisandro Martinez outburst

Lisandro Martinez may have helped his manager out with his outburst (Picture: Getty Images)

Gary Neville is in no doubt that there was a ‘tear up’ in the Manchester United dressing room after Lisandro Martinez’s explosive comments, but that is probably a good thing.

Martinez grabbed the headlines after a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last week, hitting out at the club’s hierarchy.

The Argentina international suggested recruitment was not good enough and the players and manager have been let down as the squad is not strong enough to compete at the top level.

Winger Amad Diallo also chimed in with another controversial take, although it was not clear who his comment was aimed at when he posted on Snapchat: ‘F*****g disgrace I have no words.’

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Manchester United responded with a 1-1 draw at Leeds United on Sunday, in a performance which exhibited more fight and energy than previous displays.

Neville reckons there have been clashes in the dressing room and that is no bad thing as the players look more fired up than they did before Martinez and Diallo ‘went rogue.’

‘Today’s a stepping stone, but we cant get carried away. It’s because of what we thought might happen, but I actually thought they’d win today. I thought there would be a response,’ Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast after the draw at Elland Road.

Amad Diallo’s outburst on Snapchat after Man Utd lost 2-0 vs Atletico Madrid

‘I think that dressing room has definitely had a tear up, they’ve had a tear up and they’ve had a meeting. 100 per cent. There’s no way that they’ve not dealt with that Martinez issue.

‘If you think about Amad Diallo’s Snapchat: “You’re a f***ing disgrace!” That’s at his teammate, so they’re obviously launching at each other. Martinez has gone rogue, but so has Amad.

‘I think that’s what’s happening here, that’s the dynamic and that can only be a good thing for Michael Carrick, because you’re looking at it and thinking it needs something, it needs somebody to starting fighting, it needs a rocket up it.

‘Maybe that’s the turning point. Maybe Lisandro Martinez has done the best motivational speech that he’s ever done for Manchester United on Tuesday night, maybe he’s done them a favour.’

Gary Neville reckons Martinez could have done Michael Carrick a favour (Picture: PA Wire)

Speaking ahead of the Leeds game, Michael Carrick said he was glad to see his players care about the situation at the club, but suggested public outbursts are not the correct course of action.

‘It’s a situation where there are ways of doing it, and in one way, it shows the boys care an awful lot,’ said the Red Devils manager. ‘But yeah, of course, there are ways of doing it as part of learning a little bit, of showing that emotion.

‘And like I’ve just said, I think we’ve just got to show that in the right manner and channel it in the right manner.

‘I understand emotion at times. I think part of what we ask for, we ask for passion, we ask for emotion, we ask for fire, and we ask for players to care.

‘There’s a way of doing that, and that’s already been acknowledged, but we need to carry that intensity and that willingness and that togetherness and that spirit and everything that else you can bring with that.

‘As a group, we need to use it, and we’ve got to use it in the right way.’

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^ ^ Ex-Man City star warns Arsenal of ‘concern’ after ‘bit of luck’ to beat Nottingham Forest

Mikel Arteta’s team picked up a narrow win at Nottingham Forest (Picture: Getty Images)

Arsenal ‘got a bit of luck’ to beat Nottingham Forest and should be concerned over their dramatic drop-off in set-piece goals, reckons Shay Given.

The Premier League champions came away from the City Ground on Sunday with a 1-0 win as Noni Madueke netted the only goal of the game.

It was a very forgettable contest, with the Gunners dominating the ball but not being able to create much against a stubborn Forest defence.

The breakthrough finally came on 80 minutes when Madueke saw his effort deflect off Jair Cunha and past Matz Sels.

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Arsenal have scored as many goals (11) as Ipswich Town in their first seven league games and former Newcastle and Manchester City goalkeeper Given feels Arsenal’s lack of set-piece success is a worry.

Just over 40 per cent of the Gunners’ goals in the last campaign came from set-pieces, but they are yet to score from one this season.

‘I think they had one today from Gabriel, from a header, but that is a concern because there were games last year that were tight, a bit like today and they couldn’t find a way through,’ the Irishman said on Match of the Day.

Substitute Noni Madueke was the hero for the Gunners (Picture: Getty Images)

‘They got a bit of luck today with the deflection off Cunha, but again, set-plays are so important. The set-play coach will have to get his finger out.’

On why Arsenal could be struggling from dead balls this season, Given added: ‘I think the referees are stamping down on blocks and pulls and stuff, whereas Arsenal were the experts on that last season, so they’re getting away with less and that’s perhaps why they’re scoring less goals.’

Despite these concerns, Arsenal moved back into second in the table with the victory, which was their sixth in seven Premier League games.

No team has conceded fewer than their five goals so far this campaign, which looks set to be the basis of another title challenge.

On the tight game on Sunday, manager Mikel Arteta told the BBC: ‘We knew it would be the case and last time we didn’t manage to win the game but we did today. We had to earn it until the last second.

Madueke replaced Eberechi Eze at half-time (Picture: Getty Images)

‘They are a well-coached team and hard to break down. We had to take risks, they are a dangerous team. We had to manage the emotional part really well. We stayed focused, and the finishers made a huge impact.’

Madueke came on for Eberechi at half-time, with Arteta explaining the change after by saying: ‘The way they were defending, the two units outside, the two midfielders were creating without having a real threat in behind of just forcing [Daniel] Munoz to a different type of game. They were more comfortable.

‘That’s what we have, different players with different qualities and adapt to what the game is delivering.’

On a disappointing day for Eze, he said: ‘Three days a go he scored a goal, he should have scored three and we were all happy.

‘This is football, one day is brilliant and especially with attacking players to play a team which defends with 10 players around the box, the nine dropping almost at the edge with that chemistry it’s extremely difficult to get in there.

‘That’s why you need fresh legs, a different profile and try fresh things.’

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