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Erik ten Hag made some surprising decisions on deadline day – going against the advice of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Despite Manchester United's recent signings and contract extensions, under-fire Ten Hag's choices seemed to contradict the legendary former manager's philosophy of promoting young talent and giving them a chance. On deadline day, United secured deals for Altay Bayindir, Sergio Reguilon and Sofyan Amrabat.
They also extended Jonny Evans' contract. However, these moves did not align with Ferguson's belief in nurturing young players within the club.
One decision in particular that stood out was the signing of Reguilon on a season-long loan from Tottenham. The move came after injuries to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia left United in need of a left-back.
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While there was an option to promote Alvaro Fernandez from the academy, who had impressed during his loan spell at Championship side Preston, Ten Hag pushed for a replacement with Premier League experience. According to The Athletic, club executives had suggested the 20-year-old as a potential challenger for Diogo Dalot in the left-back position.
However, Ten Hag insisted on bringing in a player with more experience, leading to the shortlisting of emergency options. Marc Cucurella emerged as their top target but complications arose during negotiations, including Chelsea's valuation for a loan fee and the defender's appearance in the Blues' Carabao Cup win over AFC Wimbledon, reports the Mirror.
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In the end, United signed Reguilon and covered his hefty weekly Tottenham wages of £115,000 in full. While the move addressed their immediate need for a left-back, it deviated from Ferguson's philosophy of prioritising the development of young talents at Old Trafford.
Ferguson emphasised the importance of promoting youngsters during his time at United. In a 2015 interview with ESPN, he stated: "That would apply to almost every club apart from Manchester United because, to be honest with you, in the history of Manchester United from Matt Busby's days to my time, that has to really be a foundation of the club; it has to be the strongest point.
"And that's what I honestly believe the supporters want to see. Man United supporters want to see the young players coming through. So I think in other circumstances you are correct but, for Manchester United, they will always be a very strong in bringing young players through."
Fernandez eventually secured a loan move to Granada on transfer deadline day. He will spend the entire season with the LaL iga side, gaining valuable experience away from Old Trafford.
This article was crafted with the help of AI tools, which speed up Dailystar.co.uk ' s editorial research. A content editor reviewed this content before it was published.You can report any errors to [email protected]
- Manchester United FC
- Erik ten Hag
- Sir Alex Ferguson
- Transfer news
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