Erik ten Hag has finally been able to rectify Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s biggest Man Utd transfer mistake

Manchester United have been linked with a number of top players this summer but Erik ten Hag may wish to revisit one of his former charges to help rebuild the side at Old Trafford

Manchester United are expected to flex their financial muscles and bail out of trouble this summer, but with Erik ten Hag in charge they would do well to use their budget wisely.

The Red Devils are believed to want a new striker, central midfielder and centre-back in a squad overhaul. However, only the latter is really needed.

Much has been written about Harry Maguire’s struggles and it’s sometimes hard to argue that he wasn’t just a scapegoat for the club’s problems on the pitch.

Raphael Varane has suffered from injuries but has looked great every time he has played and neither Victor Lindelof nor Eric Bailly are capable of playing regularly in a title-challenging team, which is what United expect next season will.

Ten Hag is expected to return to his old club to sign for exciting winger Antony and will also be reunited with retired midfielder Donny van de Beek. But another of his former players, Matthijs de Ligt, would be the perfect signing this summer.

De Ligt previously escaped United when they tried to buy him from Ajax in 2019. Instead, they had to watch as super agent Mino Raiola brought him to him juventus.

Now he could be back on the market and what better way for him than to reunite with his old head coach at Old Trafford? De Ligt’s arrival would give Varane a world-class operator alongside him and give Ten Hag the flexibility to play three at the back if he wanted to.

The center of defense is the only area of ​​the United team that they can’t currently improve from within and as such that should be their main focus once the window opens.

Unless they splash out their whole budget and somehow convince Tottenham Selling them Harry Kane will not improve them Cristiano Ronaldo. They are also unlikely to sign someone who would be a better fit than Van de Beek to replace Paul Pogba.

While there are other positions to improve – notably a new right-back to replace or support Aaron Wan-Bissaka – United know the value of a good central defense unit, but they have always been the cornerstone of Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering side in the past.

This summer, De Ligt will be on the market due to a release clause inserted into his contract. However, that release clause is believed to be worth a whopping €130million (£109million).

United should instead try to use a tactic against their rivals. Liverpool, have used in the past and are trying to reduce this asking price before bidding. That First League Title challengers did so with Luis Diaz in the January window and are reaping the rewards.

De Ligt is the ideal target for United this summer and it seems they have found a perfect way to land him.