Man United risk deteriorating despite investing £406 million and adding 16 players in just a year.

Eight of the 16 players that were signed by Manchester United under Erik ten Hag played in the Netherlands, and two of them transferred to the same agency that ten Hag uses at the same time as their move.

Now a client of SEG International, Sofyan Amrabat received a season-long loan of €10,000,000 with the possibility of making it permanent for €25,000,000. United was represented in such negotiations by different middlemen.

If Amrabat is a worthwhile acquisition, only time will tell. Ten Hag is familiar with him, and following a fantastic World Cup, his reputation has grown. Wout Weghorst was acquired the last time United quickly scoured the loan market following a World Cup.

Ten Hag’s hiring success percentage suddenly appears questionable, and United is taking short cuts. Rasmus Hojlund was a compromise, Mason Mount was in the final year of his contract, and half of the newcomers under Ten Hag’s tenure were on loans since there were financial fair play, profitability, and sustainability standards to follow. The loans would have been capped if the club’s owners had invested financially.

Despite all the criticism directed at the Glazers, United has made a commitment to invest £406 million over the course of a year. The CIES Observatory ranked United’s team as the most costly, and they have the greatest net spend of any club in the world during the past ten years.

United is the club where things may quickly spin out of control. But many of their 16 new hires for Ten Hag appear to have been made with the manager in mind rather than the team, based on their resumes.

Separate from ongoing inquiries by the Greater Manchester Police and Brazil, Antony was a questionable acquisition. A 22-year-old with two years of European (Eredivisie) playing experience, a low goalscoring record, and a lack of the speed required of elite wingers in the Premier League, this player cost United €100 million.

United must plan for the worst case scenario while wishing for the best. They were exposed in the waning weeks of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s administration because they lacked a backup plan. His dismissal was therefore put off by four weeks.

When a manager inherits a team, it must be a United team that is committed to the club’s culture and modernized to reflect the tactical complexities of the game, regardless of the circumstances.