Pochettino’s high’s release fee of around εκατο 15m, along with Paris Saint-Germain’s games this season, left him out of contention for the position and made Ten Haag the top candidate. The work, however, does not stop here for United and they will have to start shaping the structure for the Dutch coach to succeed.
Part of that will depend on transfers and United need reinforcements at all levels. One such player could be Ajax center-back Jurrien Timber, who Dutch journalist Mike Verweij has said is one of the players Ten Hag will try to bring to Old Trafford.
READ MORE: Ajax is waiting for Eric ten Hague to go to Manchester United
The center-back, however, is one of United’s strongest positions, even if Eric Bay and Phil Jones leave this summer, so it is unlikely that the club will spend serious money in such an area. But what if Timber, who played as a right center back for most of his career, could be the club’s answer to the back problem.
The theory
In Ten Hag’s Ajax system, the backs take on two different roles. Someone has a duty to play higher on the field, acting as a more aggressive element. In the current Dutch team, this is Noussair Mazraoui, who is available for free this summer, but it seems possible that he will join Bayern Munich, according to Fabrizio Romano.
In the current United team, it would be Luke Shaw, who has not set fire to the world with goals and assists in the Premier League, but his numbers that hide give the image of a player who would thrive in a system that makes him a critical piece. of the attack. Ten Hague can offer him this role.
The other position of the back is usually occupied by the former United defender, Daley Blind. The Dutchman has become a key member of Ten Hague’s team since returning to Amsterdam from United in 2018.
Blind is usually required to stay behind and do the back-four on a back-tree in possession. He then uses his extraordinary ability to break the lines of the opposing team and advance the ball, like a general playing with the whole field in front of him.
Jurrien Timber has emerged as one of the top defensive talents in Europe and Erik ten Hag could try to bring him to Manchester United.
This is a key part of Ten Hag’s tactics, as he protects his defense when Ajax loses the ball and also allows for more creative and direct passes from the back. And in this role at United, Timber could thrive.
The Execution
Now your first question may be “why can’t we play Timber in the center” and my answer is height and fitness. Timber is at 5’10 “and he is not the strongest and although the center backs did it despite the restrictions in the past (Blind is a good example), playing him on the right back would minimize these weaknesses while allowing to the team to make better use of its strengths.
According to FBref, Timber ranks among the highest in his position for progressive actions, with 5.39 progressive passes and 6.46 progressive transfers per 90 minutes. When you compare it to Blind, it lacks 10.88 progressive passes and 6.15 progressive passes.
But to put it mildly, Blind is the best in the world when it comes to progressive back-to-back passes, beating Trent Alexander-Arnold and Timber well above average for both, so that should not be an issue. to play the role at a good level. Obviously, there will be a transition period, but with the whole team adapting to Ten Hague’s style of play, it will not remain a problem in the short term.
All in all this is just a theory and if Ten Hague has plans to sign Timber and bring him to Old Trafford, he will have a plan for him, but as a key right back he can cover the central defense while Diego Dalot is more than a capable deputy. But with a number of positions to be tackled, it is not a priority in the transfer market.
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