Man United told to ‘get rid’ of senior stars amid ‘huge’ Erik ten Hag claim – pundit
Alan Hutton has insisted it will take “years” for Erik ten Hag to conduct an overhaul at Manchester United ahead of his prospective appointment.
The former Scotland defender, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested players the 52-year-old wants out could throw a spanner in the works by seeing out their contracts instead of leaving.
As revealed by Football Insider (11 April), Man United are set to trigger Ten Hag’s release clause at Ajax after deciding he should succeed Ralf Rangnick as manager.
Hutton insisted getting players out the door would have to be the Dutch manager’s priority.
However, he suggested some senior stars may snub moves away, complicating matters for Ten Hag.
Hutton told Football Insider’s Russell Edge: “I think it’s going to take years. This is a start of a project, the very start.
“First and foremost, you’re going to have to get rid of the players that you don’t want there.
“That’s not easy. If these boys are sitting on large contracts and still have years left, chances are they’re not going anywhere.
“So it’s a huge job and it’s going to take multiple transfer windows. It’s not a quick fix, you can’t do it overnight.
“Ten Hag, Rangnick, they’ve come from a background where it’s young, hungry, talented players, with a lot to prove.
“They’ve managed to get them together, playing a certain brand of football. That’s going to take years to get that at Manchester United.”
The Daily Star (14 April) claim Ten Hag has already decided Cristiano Ronaldo is not part of his plans.
A source close to the club told Football Insider that Old Trafford chiefs expect the Portuguese superstar will depart on what is likely to be a free transfer, despite his contract running until 2023.
In other news, pundit claims Manchester United “stung” for £40million-plus after baffling defender news.