October 16th 2024.
Former England football star Joe Cole recently shared his thoughts on Manchester United's transfer decisions, specifically regarding England striker Ivan Toney. According to Cole, United should have signed Toney last summer along with other Premier League rivals such as Chelsea and Arsenal. Toney was put up for sale by his former team Brentford as he entered the final year of his contract.
During his time with Brentford, Toney made a name for himself by scoring an impressive 72 goals in 141 appearances, including 20 in the 2022-23 Premier League season. However, his career with the team was put on hold in 2023 when he was found guilty of 232 breaches of the FA's betting rules, resulting in an eight-month ban from football. Despite this setback, Toney was still selected to represent England in the Euro 2024 tournament and played a crucial role in their journey to the final.
But Toney's time with Brentford came to an end when he was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli for a whopping £40m on transfer deadline day. While this move was incredibly lucrative for Toney, Cole believes that Manchester United should have offered him a big move to Old Trafford instead. United had signed several players over the summer, including Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee, but have struggled to find their footing in the Premier League, only scoring five goals in seven games.
In an interview with Paddy Power, Cole expressed his disappointment with United's transfer decisions, stating that Toney would have been a perfect fit for the team. He also mentioned the possibility of another manager coming in and wanting a different striker, which would result in United having to sell a player to make room for Toney. However, he acknowledged that it was a smart move for the team to take stock of their options.
Despite their underwhelming start to the season, Cole expects United to stick with current manager Erik ten Hag, as he believes that if they were planning on replacing him, they would have done so by now. He also mentioned that the recent comments made by former England coach Gareth Southgate, stating that he would not be coaching for at least a year, could be a strategic move by the team's owners, INEOS, who may be waiting for their preferred candidate to become available.
In the end, Cole believes that the pressure is on Ten Hag to turn things around for United, and that he is fortunate to still have his job. However, if the team's results do not improve, his position may become untenable. Despite the criticism from the fans, Cole believes that the team's owners are giving Ten Hag another chance to prove himself and that he must take advantage of it by getting the team back on track.
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