After acquiring Andre Onana, Antony, and Lisandro Martinez, Erik ten Hag hopes to bring together more of his former Ajax teammates at Manchester United. The Dutchman wants to entice striker Brian Brobbey from Amsterdam and hopes to complete a deal for Bayern Munich center-back Matthijs de Ligt.

Given that Anthony Martial’s contract is set to expire in the summer, Ten Hag is eager to bolster his attack with a competitor to summer acquisition Rasmus Hojlund. As a result, United has been keeping an eye on Brobbey ahead of the summer transfer window. They will be up against competition from Arsenal, a rival team in the Premier League, which is also interested in the midfielder.

The 21-year-old recently gave the impression that he was no longer “in contact” with his former boss, seeming to downplay the likelihood of getting back together with Ten Hag. “WhatsApp was how we used to text, but I think Erik is busy,” he remarked. “I have a new number as well, so.”

In private, Brobbey wants Man Utd to move.

He’s actually more excited about moving to Manchester than his public comments would imply, according to a Football Insider article. Brobbey reportedly wants to play for Manchester United and is prepared to “jump at the chance” if the opportunity arises in 2024.

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Ten Hag is said to be a “big admirer” of the player, who is also said to be “very keen” to play in the Premier League and represent the 20-time English champions.

What Martial cannot do, “Annoying” Brobbey can.

Unlike Hojlund, who has only scored two goals in the league for United since his arrival, Brobbey has been quite successful this season and must be feeling very confident at the moment. His non-penalty goals (11), which put him third in the Eredivisie, are marginally behind his npxG of 11.9, but not to the point where it should be a major worry. Brobbey is fourth in the league for goal contributions with fifteen, but he has also contributed four assists, showing that he is a versatile player.

After playing against Brobbey in the 2022–23 Champions League group stages, Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk called him a “great talent” who “basically has everything,” while retired Dutch attacker Pierre van Hooijdonk regarded Brobbey as “very annoying” for defenders to play against.

Ten Hag and United may benefit from strong competition at the number nine spot if Brobbey is signed. Since Martial can’t be counted on to stay healthy—he’s missed 33 games since the beginning of the previous season due to six different injuries—Hojlund is frequently playing without the anxiety that he might not participate. It would be hoped that having two strikers in competition would bring out the best in each, but it is still unclear if United will be able to reach an agreement with Ajax.