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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
George Smith

Ian Wright names three positions Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag needs to strengthen

Former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright is hoping that Erik ten Hag gets the tools he needs to take Manchester United to the next level under his leadership.

The Dutchman, who was appointed United boss almost a year ago, has enjoyed a successful maiden season in charge at Old Trafford, already ending the club's six-year wait for a trophy by leading them to the Carabao Cup in February. Despite their recent struggles in the Premier League, they remain a strong bet to finish inside the top-four and are still competing in both the Europa League and the FA Cup.

Should the Reds manage to secure Champions League qualification for next season and add another two trophies to their collection before the end of this campaign, it would represent an outstanding debut campaign in charge for Ten Hag, meaning he should be rewarded with sufficient funds to strengthen his squad in the summer.

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And should be receive that backing, Wright believes the Dutchman will want to prioritise strengthening three different areas of his squad by looking to bring in a goalkeeper, a right-back and a striker. Securing the services of a new goal-getter is set to be the club's main priority.

"That man [Ten Hag] has got to get everything he needs to try and do his job well and play the football he wants to play," Wright told Wrighty's House podcast. "For what he's done at United this season, he deserves that.

"I still don't think the right-hand side of the team is working right now. You've got [Jadon] Sancho and Antony who are capable of doing unbelievable stuff.

"Antony used to have so many options [at Ajax] – he could cut in and target the No.9 or there would be a player overlapping him. He had so many different options to get the best out of him.

"The same for Sancho at Borussia Dortmund. You have two unbelievable players who can do loads of great stuff but they've not been put into a system where they can thrive.

"I can't wait for Ten Hag to get the right-back he wants and the No. 9 he wants. The goalkeeper situation – you listen to the Jacob Murphy interview and you don't often hear stuff like that, it was brilliant to hear.

"At some stage something needs to be done about the goalkeeper [David de Gea]. I want to see all of those things before I judge Ten Hag too much."

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