Erik ten Hag has all the transfer targets he wanted

United have generously backed their manager in the transfer market once more and the pressure will be cranked up when the season begins

“Good is not good enough,” is Erik ten Hag’s motto, so after a debut season that more than exceeded expectations, now is the time for Manchester United to step things up. And after a highly productive transfer window, there can be no excuses for the Red Devils not going even further next season.

In his first summer in charge, Ten Hag was allowed to spend a club record £210 million ($270m) to reboot a flailing squad that had just achieved the club's lowest points total in 30 years in the Premier League. Now, after leading the team to third place and a first major trophy in six years, the Dutchman has been generously backed again, handed a £170m ($218m) transfer warchest to ensure he can build on all the progress he has made.

In last summer’s transfer window, United adopted a bit of a scattergun approach to transfers, signing Casemiro after the shock defeats to Brighton and Brentford and paying well over the odds to sign Antony on transfer deadline day, despite the squad being well stocked with wide forwards.

But this year the club have engaged in targeted transfer activity that has addressed every area of the squad where weaknesses had been identified. Ten Hag has what he wanted and he has a sense of authority with the club’s hierarchy and the squad which his predecessors lacked.

He must respond by leading the team into a proper title race and push Manchester City all the way, while his side also need to make a real statement on their return to the Champions League.