Manchester United see Ajax coach Erik ten Hag as club's next permanent manager - Paper Round

ByAlexander Netherton

Updated 12/12/2021 at 09:01 GMT

Manchester United believe that Erik ten Hag's coaching and team-building skills make him their preferred next manager, while Paul Pogba is expected to join one of Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain. Elsewhere, Newcastle United are looking to Steve Cook, and Brighton are closing in on Polish teenager Kacper Kozlowski.

United identify Ten Hag

Manchester United have been persuaded to move Ajax boss Erik ten Hag up their shortlist for the next permanent manager at Old Trafford because of his track record in helping Premier League failures rediscover their form, according to The Mirror. At Ajax, Sebastien Haller, Daley Blind, Davy Klaassen, Steven Berghuis, Dusan Tadic and Maarten Stekelenburg have all turned around their careers.

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Paper Round’s view: United’s problem is not that they lack players with talent - most of the squad joined showing potential after impressing elsewhere - but that they have failed to maintain their standards or improve to the expected level. By appointing Ten Hag they may have recognised that they can't simply buy new players and hope everything will work out.

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Rangnick: "Pogba won't be back in training for more than 2 weeks"

Howe considers Cook transfer

Eddie Howe is keen on his former player Steve Cook; the Bournemouth captain. The Sun reports that the new Newcastle boss wants to sign Ben Mee or James Tarkowski from Burnley, but if either of them prove too expensive to sign in the winter transfer window, then he will look towards the Championship defender to strengthen the defence.

Paper Round’s view: Newcastle’s squad is dreadfully out of form at the moment and bringing in Cook would at least be something of a quick fix. The player would know what to expect from the coach, and there would be more time for him to spend coaching other players who are less familiar with his approach to the game.

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Real and PSG wait for Pogba

Spanish newspaper Marca reports on Ralf Rangnick’s declaration that he will not fight to keep Paul Pogba at Manchester United if he wants to leave. The German disagreed with the decision to let him recover abroad from his current injury, and with half a year left on his contract, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are ready to sign him on a free transfer.

Paper Round’s view: Regardless of the causes, Pogba has been a huge waste of time and resources for United, and he needs to make the most of his talent. More importantly for the club, they need players who want to be there, and it does not seem as if Pogba has changed his mind over the last couple of weeks since the arrival of the new man.

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Brighton continue Kozlowski chase

Brighton & Hove Albion are expected to continue their efforts to sign Kacper Kozlowski from Pogon Szczecin. The 18-year-old is already a Polish international and he could cost around £8 million, clams the Mail. While other, bigger teams are interested, if he moves to Brighton he would be expected to spend some time on loan at their sister club Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.

Paper Round’s view: By sending Kozlowski off to Belgium for half a season or longer, they would be able to expose the youngster to a step up in quality while giving him the chance to step up outside of the limelight of the Premier League. Brighton need to keep finding bargains if they are to succeed against clubs with far bigger budgets than theirs.

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