Erik ten Hag has obviously had a significant impact on Manchester United’s hiring decisions since joining the team, as evidenced by the fact that he has signed a number of players he has previously collaborated with. First up was center-back Lisandro Martinez, who later that summer was joined by his old Ajax teammate Antony.

Ten Hag then reunited with midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, a member of his Utrecht club, and made another of his former Eredivisie stars, Andre Onana, his new custodian. This strategy has produced a mixed bag of results thus far. Martinez was named the 2022 Fans’ Footballer of the Year, but Antony has failed to score in 21 club appearances, Onana has already committed five Opta-defined errors, and Amrabat has found it difficult to stay in the starting lineup.

Nevertheless, the Dutchman doesn’t seem to be deterred, and according to a recent source, he is now determined to connect with another of his former teammates in Manchester.

United wants to replace Martial with Brobbey.

Ten Hag is “keeping tabs” on Ajax striker Brian Brobbey in front of the summer transfer window, according to The Mirror. The 53-year-old is aware that Anthony Martial is set to leave the team this summer at the end of his contract and wants to bolster his attack with a rival for Rasmus Hojlund.

Ten Hag is also eager to bring in another forward this month, although Old Trafford’s budgetary restrictions may force it to be a loan arrangement, which would exclude Brobbey from making a winter transfer. They will instead “continue to scout” him until the end of the season, unless they can somehow generate an unforeseen amount of money.

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Premier League rivals Arsenal, who have “cast an eye over Brobbey” and are also looking for a no. 9, might compete with United. Ten Hag’s current relationship with the forward is hoped to be decisive.

The numbers demonstrating Brobbey’s explosive form

The 21-year-old Brobbey came via the Ajax junior academy, but he did leave the team for a short time before moving on a free transfer to RB Leipzig in 2021. Six months after joining the German team, he was loaned back to Ajax after failing to score in 14 games.

He consented to make a permanent £14 million return to Amsterdam in the summer after scoring seven goals in 11 Eredivisie games to assist Ten Hag’s team win the championship. In a century of games with the team, he has totaled 39 goals and 11 assists, with 12 goals in 24 this season.

Before the league’s winter break, Brobbey was playing at an incredible level. He won the Eredivisie player of the month title in December after scoring four goals in four games. Right now, he is seventh in the league for total goal contributions (12) and fourth for non-penalty goals (eight).

The most crucial aspect is that he is creating excellent opportunities with his mobility, even though his performance is really below his non-penalty xG of 10.2. He ranks fifth in the division for npxG per shot (0.22) and has the third-highest npxG figure in the division, indicating that when things settle down, he should score about one out of every five shots.

Brobbey is not only an excellent goal scorer but a skilled ball handler as well. Offering Ten Hag yet another intriguing asset, he is ranked sixth in the Eredivsie for carries into the penalty area (24), having been dubbed a “powerhouse” by under-23 scout Antonio Mango.