‘This Is Where They Draw The Line?’ ‘Give Him Who He Wants’ Fans React As United Block Ten Hag’s Move For Chelsea Outcast

‘This Is Where They Draw The Line?’ ‘Give Him Who He Wants’ Fans React As United Block Ten Hag’s Move For Chelsea Outcast

Manchester United have refused to sanction a move for Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech, according to the Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst.

The journalist has confirmed the story that was doing the rounds last week that the board had blocked manager Erik ten Hag from signing the Moroccan international:

Ziyech is available this summer, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Thomas Tuchel, and fans on Twitter can’t understand why a move for the player has been ruled out:

Ten Hag is keen to have players around him he trusts, and Ziyech is someone he knows well from his time at Ajax. The winger would also be a cheaper alternative to Antony.

However, there are a couple of reasons why United may have decided to reject ten Hag’s request. Firstly, Ziyech will be 30 before the end of the season and he could still cost a sizeable fee. The club may want to bring in a forward who is younger.

Secondly, the Chelsea star is known to have a difficult personality, having fallen out with his national team coach. Considering the issues in United’s dressing room, it may have been decided that he wasn’t worth the trouble.

Having said all of that, though, United have been pursuing the likes of Adrien Rabiot and Marko Arnautovic, who arguably have similar downsides to Ziyech.

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.