Manchester United boss Ten Hag calls for more investment

Bengaluru — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called for more investment in the club so they can challenge for trophies after the team finished third in the Premier League this season.

United sealed the third place, finishing the season with 75 points, after they came from behind to defeat Fulham 2-1 in the last game of the league season on Sunday.

The Old Trafford club, which won the League Cup in February, has the chance to add to their silverware when they face cross-city rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

“We are in the right direction, but we are not there where we have to be, there’s still a long way to go, there’s potential in this team and individual players,” Ten Hag told reporters on Sunday.

“We showed during the season we made progress, that’s a compliment to the players and the coaches. We worked really hard, but we have to make an investment.

“The club knows if you want to play top four, compete for trophies in this tough league, then you have to invest otherwise you don’t have a chance because other clubs will do.”

United last won the league title in 2012/13 under Alex Ferguson.

• Chelsea confirmed the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino as head coach on Monday after the former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St Germain manager signed a two-year contract with the option of a further year.

Argentine Pochettino, 51, will take over from interim boss Frank Lampard on July 1. Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League last season.

“Mauricio is a world-class coach with an outstanding track record. We are all looking forward to having him on board,” Chelsea’s owners said in a statement.

Pochettino, who favours a high-pressing and attacking style of play, garnered a reputation for fostering young talent and led Southampton to an eighth-place finish in his first full season in England before joining Spurs in 2014.  He will be tasked with reviving Chelsea’s fortunes.

The London club won the Champions League in 2021 but ended this season without any silverware and stumbled towards their worst campaign since 1993/94 — when they finished 14th under Glenn Hoddle — despite their new US owners’ huge outlay on players.

Pochettino is the third permanent Chelsea manager since their sale in 2022 to a consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and backed by Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm.

Reuters