August 10th 2024.
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Matthijs de Ligt's potential move to Manchester United, and it seems that the deal is close to being finalized. However, when asked about the potential signings of de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, Ajax manager Erik ten Hag chose not to speculate. He did, however, acknowledge that Manchester United's defence still has some issues that need to be addressed.
The team has already brought in Leny Yoro as a defensive reinforcement, but unfortunately, he has sustained a foot injury that will keep him out of action for three months. This has led the Red Devils to continue their search for more defenders, with their sights now set on Munich. Reports have surfaced that a deal for de Ligt has been agreed upon, and the signing of Mazraoui is also progressing well. However, Ten Hag would not go into detail about the negotiations, choosing instead to focus on his team's performance in the Community Shield against Manchester City.
When asked for an update on the potential signings, Ten Hag simply replied, "No, I can't. When we have some news, we will announce it. Until then, we will continue to work with the squad that we have available." He did, however, admit that the defence is an area that still needs improvement, as was evident in the Community Shield match where Lisandro Martinez had to play out of position at left-back.
"It's clear that we have some problems that we need to work on," Ten Hag stated. "The players need to work hard to make themselves available, and the coaching staff also need to put in the work. It's important for us to have a good collaboration between the players and the staff."
Despite the defeat to Manchester City, Ten Hag was able to find some positives from his team's performance. He praised their ability to compete with the reigning Premier League champions for the full ninety minutes and was particularly pleased with Marcus Rashford's attacking presence and the strong defending displayed by the team as a whole.
"We managed to hold our own against City, and that is definitely a positive," Ten Hag shared with ITV after the match. "We had good pressure on the ball and showed some great play-throughs in the midfield, creating chances from those situations. There are many positives that we can take from this match."
It remains to be seen whether de Ligt and Mazraoui will officially join Manchester United, but one thing is for sure, the team is determined to continue working hard and improving in all aspects of their game. Until then, they will rely on the players currently available to them and hope for a successful collaboration between the players and the coaching staff.
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