Manchester United’s likely transfer budget if Erik ten Hag takes over with ‘contact made’

Man UTD boss Ralf Rangnick after Watford draw

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Manchester United have reportedly contacted Erik ten Hag as they step up their efforts to appoint a new manager. Ralf Rangnick replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer earlier in the year following the Norwegian’s sacking in November. Yet the 63-year-old isn’t currently a likely option to take over permanently.

Manchester United are being linked with several managers at the current moment in time as they plan for a brighter future at Old Trafford.

Mauricio Pochettino, Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique all appear to be in with a shot of landing the job, despite currently working at Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and the Spain national team respectively.

However, fresh developments would suggest that Ten Hag is now the frontrunner for the job.

According to Jonathan Shrager, United have ‘made contact’ with the 52-year-old to find out about his current situation.

And history would suggest that the Red Devils would give the Dutchman a budget of £150million to take charge should they appoint him and fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

In the past, United have often given new managers big backing – especially when they’ve got no place in Europe’s top-tier club competition to offer.

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After finishing seventh under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal was given the keys to Old Trafford.

And the Dutchman received a budget of £151.5million during his first summer transfer window at the helm.

Angel Di Maria was their costliest recruit at £59.7m, with the Argentina international arriving from Real Madrid.

Radamel Falcao was another marquee arrival, with the Red Devils paying £6m to take the Colombia international on loan.

And United also brought the likes of Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind to the club as well.

After Van Gaal was sacked in 2016, and United had no Champions League football on the table, the Glazers sanctioned a big spending spree under Jose Mourinho.

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Again, their arrivals came close to costing £150m – falling just £5m below that figure.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was signed on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, reuniting with Mourinho having previously played under the current Roma boss at Inter Milan.

Paul Pogba became the club’s record signing, arriving for £89m having left the Red Devils for Juventus four years previously.

And United then spent £56m on Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan as they targeted a return to the big time.

In 2019, United failed to qualify for the Champions League.

They ended up finishing sixth in the table under Solskjaer, who had taken over from Mourinho initially on an interim basis before the arrangement became permanent.

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Then, like with Mourinho, the Norwegian was given a budget of close to £150m to spend on fresh faces.

Daniel James was the first player to arrive, with the Wales international costing £15m from Swansea.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka then followed, touching down from Crystal Palace for a fee of £50m.

And United then proceeded to break the world-record for a defender by paying Leicester an eye-watering £80m for Harry Maguire.

With Van Gaal getting £151m with no Champions League football, and Mourinho and Solskjaer then getting a similar amount to spend, history indicates Ten Hag could expect similar support.

Yet whether he ends up being the club’s chosen candidate, amid links to Pochettino and Enrique, remains to be seen.

Rangnick, meanwhile, refused to give too much away when quizzed on United’s managerial plans prior to Sunday’s showdown with Manchester City.

“It is pretty easy in football,” he said. “You need the best possible people, have a clear idea and stick to it.

“City and Liverpool have continuity and consistency on head coach for the past five or six years, and for me, Jurgen and Pep are the best two coaches on the planet.

“They have a very clear identity about how they want to play. This is the secret behind their success.

“This is what all the top clubs have in common and is something that needs to be developed at Manchester United.”

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