Ten Hag told Man Utd summer signing is ‘not an upgrade’ for big-money flop as Scholes makes feelings clear

Erik ten Hag has once again been accused of wasting Manchester United’s transfer money after Paul Scholes explained why Matthijs de Ligt is no better than Harry Maguire – while the pundit has also hit out at the way the Red Devils boss embeds his new signings into the side.

The Red Devils have invested heavily since Ten Hag was appointed manager back in July 2022, spending around £560m (€670m, $749m) across the three summer transfer windows he has had in charge and with three of those – Rasmus Hojlund, Casemiro and Antony – all costing more than £60m apiece.

However, Manchester United could only finish eighth last season and the pressure is certainly on Ten Hag to do better this time around having narrowly avoided getting the sack over the summer.

Having won the FA Cup, though, Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to not only hand Ten Hag a one-year contract extension but also offer him his full support to further strengthen the squad this summer, though this time backed up by the arrival of new sporting director Dan Ashworth.

One of those brought in was Ten Hag’s former Ajax prodigy, De Ligt, who moved from Bayern Munich in a deal ultimately worth £42.8m (€51.2m, $57.4m) after falling down the pecking order at the Allianz Arena.

De Ligt was rested for Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with FC Twente but had played in all six of United’s matches prior to that, but Scholes is not convinced by what he has seen, telling The Overlap: “Erik ten Hag couldn’t wait to get Matthijs de Ligt instead of Harry Maguire, he was just waiting for the opportunity.

“I’m not sure it’s that much of an upgrade – De Ligt played against Southampton, Maguire would have been fine against Southampton.

“He might be slightly better, but it’s not a massive improvement where you think, ‘Wow’. It’s like that with all the signings.”

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Ten Hag still sees role for Maguire despite De Ligt signing

Despite often-maligned £80m man Maguire seemingly destined for the role of back-up this season, the 64-times capped England defender has already clocked up five appearances so far, benefiting somewhat from the foot injury sustained by another summer signing in Leny Yoro.

Nonetheless, Ten Hag said that he still expects Maguire to be needed over the course of the season and that opportunities will still come his way.

“We have a squad who have more than 11 starting players. We need rotation throughout the season to keep everyone fit because no one can play all the games,” the United boss said earlier this month.

“But Harry Maguire will definitely play an important role for us. I’m very happy for him that he’s back (in the England squad) and it tells something about his performances in the last couple of games.”

Scholes, meanwhile, is also unhappy with Ten Hag over the way he integrates new signings into the side, feeling he is sometimes too slow to bring them in.

“Manuel Ugarte was announced on the pitch for the Liverpool game and then he went away with Uruguay and with the South Americans, they don’t come back until a Friday sometimes and then they played at 12:30pm on a Saturday at Southampton.

“[Erik] ten Hag’s a bit like that with his new players, he seems to take a little bit of time to bring them in – [Matthijs] de Ligt was the same. The only one who has come straight in is [Noussair] Mazraoui.”

Man Utd plan audacious move for elite midfielder / Liverpool battle on for Argentine star

Meanwhile, United are being linked with an ambitious summer swoop for Nicolo Barella after reports in Spain claimed the Inter Milan star had been identified as a major target by Dan Ashworth.

The Italy international, regarded as one of the best around, has also been linked with Manchester City in recent days as they come to terms with their catastrophic loss of Rodri for the season.

However, despite United looking to fill the gaps likely to be left by Casemiro and Christian Eriksen at the end of the season, TEAMtalk can reveal that any approach to sign the 27-year-old midfielder will be fraught with difficulties.

Elsewhere, United are also reportedly casting admiring glances towards Argentina U23 ace Kevin Zenon, who is making a big impression with Boca Juniors.

Capable of playing anywhere down the left flank, Zenon – whom Ashworth is said to admire – has also been linked with a move to both Liverpool and Tottenham in recent days.

That link is certainly a timely one too, with former United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen claiming United will soon face a big problem with Luke Shaw as the long-serving defender continues his ongoing battle against a series of injuries. Shaw last played for United back in February and earns £150,000 a week.