Locked in for Wednesday night 👊 Pictures from today’s training season of Red Devils 🔴⚽️
Why Erik ten Hag prevented Manchester United from signing Ivan Toney, a target for Chelsea and Arsenal
Ten Hag expressed his desire to increase his offensive options over the summer near the end of the previous year, and United complied by signing his countryman Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna in July.
Before and after Zirkzee arrived at Old Trafford, the Manchester giants were linked to a bid for England star Toney, but they ultimately decided to withdraw from the competition.
Throughout the summer, Toney also drew interest from Chelsea and Arsenal; nevertheless, he ultimately moved to the Saudi Pro League when Brentford accepted an offer of £40 million from Al Ahli.
The 28-year-old, who helped England reach the Euro 2024 final but had a modest impact, launched his Al Ahli career this past weekend by scoring twice in a 4-2 victory over Damac.
That being said, Toney might still be playing in the Premier League and making appearances for Manchester United if Ten Hag’s misgivings had not arisen.
According to ESPN, Ten Hag expressed interest in signing Toney to a contract at Old Trafford but ultimately “ruled out” a move because of his concerns about the striker’s capacity to provide the kind of pressure he demands from his attackers to opponents.When Toney approached the last 12 months of his contract in west London, Brentford manager Thomas Frank grew more and more resigned to his departure.
After Toney signed a record-breaking contract worth around £400,000 per week to relocate to Saudi Arabia, Frank remarked, “It’s been a pleasure to work with Ivan over the last four years.”
“It is astounding that he has scored more than one goal every two games on average.” He has excelled as a captain, link-up player, and goal scorer.
He has challenged himself, the group, and the team. Ivan departs as a legend from Brentford.Following his tearful exit from Brentford, Toney remarked, “Where do I even begin?” It’s difficult for me to put into words what Brentford means to me.
I knew I was a part of something amazing the instant I walked onto the pitch wearing the shirt.
The first and most significant shout-out I have is to “The Bees,” who are the world’s greatest and most amazing fans. We have had incredible highs, lows, struggles, and victories together that I will never forget.I will always be grateful for your unwavering love and support, which I will cherish forever.
I want to express my gratitude to each and every one of you for your unwavering support as I get ready to start this new path.
Thank you to all of my colleagues, the manager, the backroom crew, the owners, and once more, The Bees in particular. As I usually say, it’s never an official goodbye—see you soon. Ivan.
This season, Manchester United has had difficulty scoring goals; they have only scored five goals in five games. Zirkzee’s lone goal came on the first game, and Rasmus Hojlund is currently sidelined due to injury.