Revealing Erik ten Hag's dream Manchester United line-up | OneFootball

Manchester United have endured a mixed time of things under Erik ten Hag ever since the Dutch coach took over the club ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The former Ajax chief arrived at the club on the back of United having recorded their worst-ever Premier League points tally during the 2021/22 campaign. Under the stewardship of firstly Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then intern boss Ralf Rangnick, the Red Devils racked up an all-time low 58 points from 38 Premier League matches.

It left ten Hag with a hefty task upon arrival at Old Trafford, but the 53-year-old has been backed by the United board, with the Greater Manchester outfit splashing close to £400 million across the three transfer windows he's been in charge for.

Despite this, ten Hag hasn't always been able to sign his first-choice targets, with United having at times had to settle for alternative options. So in recognition of this, GIVEMESPORT have taken a look at what their starting line-up might've looked like had ten Hag signed his first-choice targets.

GK - Andre Onana

One of the United signings which did go to plan for ten Hag, off the pitch at least. Andre Onana was brought in during the recent summer transfer window, replacing long-time number-one goalkeeper David De Gea.

He cost United a whopping £47 million, with the goalkeeper joining from an Inter Milan side that reached the Champions League final the season prior, only to lose to United's rivals Manchester City.

Things haven't exactly gone to plan for the Cameroon international since joining, with some reports suggesting the Red Devils could bring De Gea back to the club on a short-term contract.

Right-back has been a problem position for ten Hag ever since he arrived at Old Trafford, with Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka having shared the minutes in that position.

There was little surprise during the summer transfer window when reports emerged that United were tracking the wantaway Benjamin Pavard, who was gearing up for a move away from Bayern Munich.

Pavard was part of the Bayern Munich side who lifted the Champions League trophy back in 2020, with the defender having also won the World Cup with France too. While he may have looked like the perfect fit for United, a move didn't transpire for the Frenchman, with Pavard going on to join Inter Milan instead.

Another failed signing from the 2023 summer transfer window, Kim Min-jae had been on United's radar for some time, with the South Korean international shining for a Napoli side that won their first Serie A title in over 25 years last season.

When it became clear Kim was going to leave the Italian outfit during the summer transfer window, United positioned themselves as a potential candidate and transfer insider Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT back in June that the club were set to hold talks with the centre-half's representatives.

Of course, Kim would end up moving elsewhere, joining Bundesliga giant Bayern Munich as part of a reported £43 million transfer from Napoli.

CB - Lisandro Martinez

Another current United player, Lisandro Martinez has worked with ten Hag for several years now, and was one of the first signings the Dutchman made when he joined the club in the summer of 2022.

He did cost a pretty penny though, with United spending £56 million to bring the defender to Old Trafford. Playing 45 times in his maiden Red Devils' campaign, Martinez was crucial to ten Hag, as they went on to lift the League Cup and finish inside the Premier League top four.

Martinez's 2023/24 season was rocked early doors though, when the 2022 World Cup winner suffered a nasty foot injury he'd picked up in the previous campaign. The most recent assessment looks damming for Martinez, as the Argentine international isn't expected to return to action until the new year.

LB - Luke Shaw

A stalwart in plenty of United teams ever since he arrived all the way back in June 2014, Luke Shaw has proved value for the £27 million spent on him close to a decade ago.

Notching up over 260 appearances for the Red Devils, Shaw has been able to establish himself as one of the Premier League's best left-backs since joining from Southampton. Winning two League Cups and a Europa League during his time with the club, perhaps the only regret from Shaw's time at United is that he hasn't been a part of more trophy-winning seasons.

The England international's career has been blighted by injuries though, and as of November 2023, Shaw is yet to feature for United during the 2023/24 campaign so far.

CM - Frenkie De Jong

It was no secret United had Frenkie De Jong on their radar as soon as ten Hag joined the club, with the Barcelona man dubbed their priority target for the summer 2022 transfer window.

Interestingly enough, United were reported to have agreed on a fee with Barcelona for De Jong's services, which was believed to be in the region of £63 million. Suffice to say, that that move didn't transpire, with the Dutch international sticking around in Catalonia instead.

United were forced to seek out alternative targets, eventually landing on Real Madrid star Casemiro, who joined for a whopping £70 million. But less than 18 months into his United career, there are suggestions Casemiro isn't the right fit for the club, with some claiming he could be causing an unwanted issue for ten Hag.

CM - Bruno Fernandes

Probably the club's best signing of the last decade and perhaps up there with one of the best-ever during the Premier League era, Bruno Fernandes has at times been a cut above the rest of his United teammates.

Arriving from Portuguese side Sporting CP during the 2020 January transfer window, the deal was worth an initial £43 million, but with included bonuses, it has the potential to rise to £68 million. And it looks as if most of those bonuses will be achieved, given the impact Fernandes has had on the United side ever since joining.

Playing over 200 times for the 20-time English champions, Fernandes has notched up over 100 G/A contributions during that time, which equals out as one every other match. His importance to the United side was reflected in the summer of 2023, when ten Hag handed Fernandes the captain's armband.

CM - Adrien Rabiot

A player who has been linked with United plenty of times in the past, with interest still said to exist from the Old Trafford outfit, it had at one point looked like Adrien Rabiot was destined for a move to the Premier League side.

It was reported that Rabiot was a transfer target during the 2022 summer transfer window, but any hopes of a deal were shelved after the midfielder's wage demands were deemed to be too high. That interest looked like it would be sparked up again in the recent transfer window, but Rabiot ended up signing a contract extension at Juventus to keep him at the Italian club.

That deal is only set to run until the end of the current campaign however, meaning United and Rabiot could link up somewhere down the line.

Joao Felix

It always felt like starlet Joao Felix would end up in the Premier League one day, such has been his rise to prominence in recent years, with United tipped to be one of the sides fighting it out for his signature.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed to GIVEMESPORT back in December 2022 that Felix was eyeing up a move to England's top flight during the winter window, with the Italian journalist hinting United could be in the mix for his signature. Of course, Felix would end up at Chelsea instead, as the London outfit stumped up a whopping £10 million to bring him on loan until the end of the season.

Talk of a move to Old Trafford picked up again in the off-season when it was suggested Felix would leave Atletico Madrid on loan again, but the Portugal international decided on a switch to sunny Barcelona instead.

ST - Harry Kane

Hands up, who honestly had Harry Kane joining Bayern Munich in the summer 2023 transfer window? It looked for all the money in the world that Kane would sign for United instead, but ultimately it was a lack of funds which prevented the England captain from joining the three-time European champions.

Kane was dubbed one of United's primary striker targets at the beginning of the summer, but a move for the marksman was called off after it became clear Tottenham Hotspur's demands were too high.

The all-time Tottenham top scorer ended up joining Bayern Munich for a fee in the region of £100 million, with United left to settle for alternative target Rasmus Hojlund, who himself cost the Red Devils an eye-catching £72 million.

LW - Marcus Rashford

While there may be some doubts over Marcus Rashford's current relationship with ten Hag, there is no questioning the winger is one of the best in world football when he is on top form.

In fact, during Rashford's first season under ten Hag's stewardship, the Manchester-born star notched up an impressive 41 G/A contributions in 56 matches across all competitions last season, with 30 of those being goals. He hasn't been able to replicate that form during the 2023/24 campaign yet, having only managed one goal from his first 14 matches of the season.

Regardless, after signing a new long-term contract at the club in July 2023, which will see him pocket an astonishing £325,000 per week until 2028, it looks like Rashford is here to stay at Old Trafford for plenty of time to come.