虎扑体育网

Laurie Whitwell

翻译：海绵叔叔666（微博）

After Erik ten Hag agreed to take charge of Manchester United, he set aside a couple of hours each week away from managing Ajax to discuss the shape of the squad he would inherit in England.

腾哈格同意执掌曼联后，他一边带阿贾克斯，一边每周要抽出几个小时来讨论未来他接手的球队人员怎么构架。

He wanted to get a head start on recruitment and spoke to United’s football director John Murtough about the types of players he would like waiting for him when he officially began work. Ten Hag asked for a midfielder in the mould of Frenkie de Jong, an established centre-forward, and a left-footed centre-back.

他希望引援是第一要务，与穆塔夫（曼联足球总监）讨论了他在正式入主后想要的球员。滕哈格需要一名像弗兰基·德容（Frenkie de Jong）那样的中场球员，一名成熟的中锋和一名左脚中后卫。

Agents contacted in that period, however, paint a picture of a club acting without an established plan. It transpired that, although United use a tailormade scouting database containing thousands of reports, nobody had assembled a so-called “shadow squad” of potential signings in each position, as is customary at clubs across the football pyramid. United were starting from scratch, rather than having potential deals lined up.

然而，在那段时期接触过曼联的球员经纪人描绘了一幅俱乐部在没有既定计划的情况下行事的画面。事实证明，尽管曼联有包含数千份报告，为俱乐部量身定制的球探数据库，但是俱乐部对于想要的人选并没有一个备选列表矩阵（影子阵容），曼联的引援只有A计划，没B计划

Murtough does now have a thick dossier that outlines targets for each position, categorising them by levels of quality based on scouting reports and data, as well as detailing their expected cost. But that uncertainty at the start emboldened Ten Hag to take matters into his own hands in certain circumstances, such as when Murtough returned with a list of centre-backs that included Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez. Josko Gvardiol, Alessandro Bastoni and Pau Torres were also discussed but Ten Hag preferred Martinez, partially due to their established relationship and the player’s attainability, but also because he was seen as the most suitable of the targets. Martinez understood Ten Hag’s way of working, so had merit as the first piece in his jigsaw, and Murtough, seen by some former colleagues as an administrator rather than a visionary, acquiesced.

穆塔夫确实有一份厚厚的档案，涵盖了每个位置的目标，根据球探报告和数据按质量水平对它们进行分类，并详细说明了它们的预期成本。但一开始的这种不确定性让滕哈格在某些情况下更愿意把转会主导权拿在自己手里，比如当穆塔夫带着包括阿贾克斯的利马在内的中后卫名单的时候，其实格瓦尔迪奥尔、巴斯托尼和保托雷斯也被俱乐部讨论过，但滕哈格更喜欢利马，一方面他们之前的合作经历以及转会可行性较高，而且他也被认为是最合适的目标。马丁内斯了解滕哈格的工作方式，这是第一个优点，穆塔夫默许了这个选择，被前同事认为更像一个橡皮图章，而不是有远见的管理者。

By the time the 2022-23 campaign kicked off, Ten Hag’s two other signings were Tyrell Malacia, a deputy left-back, and Christian Eriksen, a No 10 on a free transfer.

当2022-23 赛季开始时，滕哈格的另外两名签约是替补左后卫马拉西亚和免签的 10 号球员埃里克森。

United were still pursuing a forlorn bid for De Jong, having agreed an €85million (£73m; $93m) fee with Barcelona. Yet, although five experienced players had left the squad at the end of their contracts — Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Edinson Cavani — and Andreas Pereira had been sold to Fulham for £10million, Ten Hag was informed there was no further money to spend in the summer of 2022.

曼联当时仍在追求德容，巴塞罗那愿意以 8500 万欧元（7300 万英镑；9300 万美元）的费用把德容卖给曼联。尽管五名经验丰富的球员在合同结束后离开了球队——博格巴、林加德、马蒂奇、马塔和卡瓦尼——而且佩雷拉也以 1000 万英镑的价格被卖给了富勒姆，但滕哈格获悉， 2022 年夏天没有更多的钱可以花。

Then United lost to Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, and panic spread. Chief executive Richard Arnold became more visible around Carrington and sat in on a lengthy recruitment meeting following the 2-1 defeat by Brighton at Old Trafford. It was then that staff decided to pivot from De Jong to Casemiro.

随后曼联输给了布莱顿和布伦特福德，恐慌蔓延开来。首席执行官阿诺德（Richard Arnold）在卡林顿出现的越来越多，并在主场1-2输给布莱顿后参加了一场冗长的球员招募会议。就在那时，制服组决定从德容转向卡塞米罗。

The decision to go for Casemiro, a different profile of midfielder to De Jong, was taken despite some internal resistance. It was calculated that signing Declan Rice from West Ham United for £120million, as an example, would have been better for United’s long-term financial-fair-play (FFP) prospects than bringing in Casemiro, then aged 30, for half the fee. Rice’s salary would have been significantly smaller than Casemiro’s earnings of around £350,000 per week and he could have signed a longer contract owing to his age, meaning the cost could have been amortised — or spread out — in the accounts over a longer period. Rice, then aged 23, also had potential resale value.

尽管存在一些内部阻力，曼联但还是决定选用卡塞米罗这位与德容不同的中场球员。例如，经过计算，以 1.2 亿英镑从西汉姆联签下赖斯，对于曼联的长期财务公平竞争（FFP）前景来说，比以一半的费用引进当时 30 岁的卡塞米罗要好。赖斯的薪水将明显低于卡塞米罗每周约 35 万英镑的收入，而且由于他的年龄，他本可以签署一份更长的合同，这意味着成本可以在更长的时间内摊销或分摊到账户中。赖斯当时 23 岁，也具有潜在的转售价值。

The Casemiro deal from Real Madrid is one Sir Jim Ratcliffe questioned during his tour of Carrington in March and, as the British billionaire puts the finishing touches on his 25 per cent investment into United, which gives him control of sporting matters, he is tasking INEOS’ director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford with auditing the club’s processes and personnel.

吉姆·拉特克利夫爵士 (Jim Ratcliffe) 在 3 月份访问卡灵顿期间曾对卡塞米罗与皇家马德里的交易提出质疑，这位英国亿万富翁正在完成对曼联 25% 股份的收购，这让他能够控制体育事务，他会让英力士体育总监戴夫·布雷斯福德爵士对俱乐部的流程和人员进行审计

The Casemiro deal, worth £60m plus £10m in add-ons, ended United’s hopes of a move for Harry Kane this summer because the England striker’s wages would have been too great to work into FFP regulations. Kane was Ten Hag’s top choice at centre-forward but United never considered a genuine approach.

卡塞米罗的交易价值 6000 万英镑，外加 1000 万英镑的附加费，这终结了曼联今年夏天引进哈里·凯恩的希望，因为这位英格兰前锋的工资太高，不符合 FFP 的规定。凯恩是滕哈格中锋的首选，但曼联从未考虑过真正的想办法去弄到他

United went for Casemiro because Ten Hag needed an immediate impact and he was available having decided to leave Real Madrid after nine years. United’s football department mapped out how he would fit in the team, delved into his injury record, and came to a unanimous decision to proceed. At the time, West Ham were refusing to entertain offers for Rice and Ten Hag did not want to wait. Casemiro enjoyed an excellent debut campaign, playing a career-high 51 games, but has looked short of his best this season and has been out with a hamstring injury since November 1.

曼联之所以选择卡塞米罗，是因为滕哈格需要即战力和经验，他立刻可以上场起作用。曼联足球部门制定了他如何融入球队的方案，深入研究了他的伤病记录，并一致决定交易可行。当时，西汉姆联队拒绝接受对赖斯的报价，滕哈格也不想等待。卡塞米罗在第一个赛季表现出色，出场 51 场，创职业生涯新高，但第二个赛季的表现似乎未达到最佳状态，自 11 月 1 日以来，他因腿筋受伤而缺阵。

One source with knowledge of the process — who, like others in this article, is speaking on condition of anonymity to protect their position — believes a year’s work was crammed into three months in Ten Hag’s first summer. Rather than starting conversations on signings in September 2021, after the previous window had closed, United began that work in May 2022, the justification being that a new manager — with Ten Hag replacing interim manager Ralf Rangnick — meant new plans. Action sped up even further as the summer transfer deadline approached, with Ten Hag anxious for a stronger midfield.

一位了解整个过程的消息人士（与本文中的其他人一样，为了保护自己的立场而不愿透露姓名）认为，滕哈格的第一个夏窗（转会工作）将一年的活儿塞进了三个月。曼联并没有在上一个转会窗口关闭后于 2021 年 9 月开始就引援问题展开对话，而是在 2022 年 5 月开始了这项工作，理由是新主帅——滕哈格取代了临时主帅朗尼克——意味着新的计划。随着夏季转会截止日期的临近，行动进一步加快，滕哈格渴望一个更强大的中场。

Separately, Ten Hag felt he needed an additional attacker and though he had reservations about returning to Ajax, the target to gain universal agreement was Antony.

另外，滕哈格觉得他需要一名额外的攻击手，尽管他对继续薅阿贾克斯的球员持保留态度，但获得制服组普遍同意的目标是安东尼。

Under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United’s scouts had made reports that left staff valuing Antony at around £25m. Midway through the summer of 2022, United cut off talks with Ajax and privately communicated they would not pay more than £60m.

在索尔斯克亚时代，曼联球探的报告显示，球探对安东尼的估价约为 2500 万英镑。 2022 年夏窗的时候，曼联曾经中断了与阿贾克斯的谈判，并私下表示他们不会支付超过 6000 万英镑。

In the final days of the window, with desperation around Old Trafford heightened and Ten Hag pressing for reinforcements, United agreed a fee of £86m (€95m guaranteed plus €5m add-ons). Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar later told The Athletic he had “challenged” Arnold and Murtough to “go as far as possible” at a time when the Dutch club had already sold several first-team players.

在转会窗口的最后几天，老特拉福德周围的绝望情绪加剧，滕哈格迫切需要增援，曼联同意了 8600 万英镑的转会费（9500 万欧元的保证金加上 500 万欧元的附加费）。阿贾克斯首席执行官范德萨后来告诉《The Athletic》，在荷兰俱乐部已经出售了几名一线队球员的情况下，他迫使阿诺德和穆塔夫“走的尽可能远”开出了大出血的价格。

Ten Hag undoubtedly wanted to sign Antony, but sanctioning the outlay came from above. Those with an understanding of United’s structure say several directors are involved in “checks and balances” during a transfer window, including chief financial officer Cliff Baty and general counsel Patrick Stewart, who is now interim chief executive, which leads to slower progress on negotiations. Joel Glazer, based in the US, adds a final layer of sign-off.

滕哈格无疑想签下安东尼，但要批准这笔费得看“上面”的脸色。了解曼联结构的人士表示，多名董事在转会窗口期间参与“制衡”，其中包括首席财务官克里夫·巴蒂(Cliff Baty)和现任临时首席执行官的总法律顾问帕特里克·斯图尔特(Patrick Stewart)，这导致谈判进展缓慢。他们之后，还需要常驻美国的 Joel Glazer 最终签字。

But ultimately the system falters because, at crucial moments, United can decide to pay over the odds for a player and break their budget. Sources insist there is nobody at the club skilled at assessing a player’s worth who also has authority on spending and can take a holistic view of squad building.

但最终这个构架也没管用（叫停这笔交易），因为到了关键时刻，曼联破例为一名球员支付超出超出正常价格的费用并超过了他们的预算。消息人士坚称，俱乐部里没有人擅长评估球员的价值，也没有人有权花钱，也没有人能够对球队建设有全面的看法。

The cost of Ten Hag’s first summer meant United were on the brink with FFP regulations and January signings were limited to loans. However, rather than delve into the scouting database for solutions, many of their transfers appeared to be coincidental.

滕哈格第一个夏天的建队成本意味着曼联正处于FFP规定的边缘，所以一月份的签约仅限于租借。然而，他们的许多转会似乎都是巧合，而不是深入研究球探数据库来寻找解决方案。

Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure in November 2022 left a big hole at centre-forward. United initially pursued a move for Cody Gakpo, who had enjoyed a good World Cup and shared the same agency as Ten Hag, SEG International. PSV Eindhoven were open to selling.

克里斯蒂亚诺·罗纳尔多 (Cristiano Ronaldo) 于 2022 年 11 月离开，在中锋位置上留下了一个巨大的空缺。曼联最初希望引进科迪·加克波（Cody Gakpo），他在世界杯上表现出色，并与 Ten Hag 共享同一家经纪公司 SEG International。 PSV埃因霍温也对出售持开放态度。

A few days before Christmas, however, United pulled the plug on any permanent moves, deciding that only loans were possible. With his options limited, Ten Hag identified compatriot Wout Weghorst because he wanted a striker who could join as soon as the window opened. United paid Besiktas £2.5m to cancel his loan in Turkey and signed Weghorst, who scored two goals in 20 games at Burnley the previous season, on January 13. He went on to start 19 consecutive games.

然而，圣诞节前几天，曼联终止了任何永久转会谈判，并决定只租借球员。由于选择有限，滕哈格选定了同胞沃特·韦格霍斯特，因为他想要一名在转会窗口打开后就可以加盟的前锋。曼联向贝西克塔斯支付了250万英镑结束了他在土耳其的租借，并于1月13日签下了上赛季在伯恩利的20场比赛中打进两球的韦格霍斯特。他随后连续首发了19场比赛。

Then, when Eriksen got injured on January 28, the manager eyed a deadline-day move for Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich. Bayern insisted Gravenberch was unavailable for loan, but proposed Marcel Sabitzer instead, an idea Ten Hag liked. United had historical scouting reports on Sabitzer but only went for him through circumstance rather than design. United argue this is an example of their dexterity, with a deal sorted in three hours once talks began in earnest.

然后，当埃里克森于 1 月 28 日受伤时，主教练考虑在截止日期前从拜仁慕尼黑引进瑞恩·格拉芬贝赫。拜仁坚持格拉文贝赫不租，但提供了萨比策作为选项，滕哈格喜欢这个主意。曼联有过关于萨比策的历史球探报告，但只是顺水推舟而不是有意选择他。曼联认为这是他们灵活性的一个例子，在认真开始谈判后三个小时内就达成了协议。

Bayern took calls from Kees Vos, Ten Hag’s agent, once the extent of Eriksen’s injury became known. Vos, a co-founder of SEG, has been a visible presence around United since Ten Hag’s appointment, attending games in the Old Trafford directors’ box and visiting Carrington for meetings. He has been seen in the training-ground canteen where players eat, access some staff have questioned. United are conscious of potential conflicts of interest but are satisfied with an arrangement that assists their ability to assess the market.

埃里克森的受伤程度得知后，拜仁接到了滕哈格经纪人基斯·沃斯的电话。沃斯是 SEG 的联合创始人，自从滕哈格被任命以来，他就一直在曼联周围露面，参加老特拉福德董事包厢的比赛，并前往卡灵顿参加会议。有人看到他在训练场球员食堂吃饭，一些工作人员对此表示质疑。曼联意识到潜在的利益冲突，但对他有助于他们评估市场感到满意。

In the summer of 2022, Vos, who had arranged Robin van Persie’s move to United 10 years earlier, was arguably the most experienced transfer facilitator around the club, with Murtough in his first window as football director. Tom Keane, an established agent, was head of negotiations on secondment from law firm Brandsmiths following the departure of Matt Judge. Andy O’Boyle started work as deputy football director that July after leaving the Premier League. Dominic Jordan became United’s first director of data science that March, having spent the previous two years at N Brown Group, an online fashion retailer.

沃斯在 10 年前安排了罗宾·范佩西转会曼联，那2022 年夏天，他可以说是俱乐部最有经验的转会协调人，而对穆塔夫来说则是他担任足球总监的第一个转会窗。汤姆·基恩 (Tom Keane) 是一位资深经纪人，在马特·贾吉 (Matt Judge) 离职后，他担任布兰德史密斯律师事务所借调谈判的负责人。安迪·奥博伊尔离开英超后于当年七月开始担任足球副总监。多米尼克·乔丹 (Dominic Jordan) 今年 3 月成为曼联首位数据科学总监，此前两年他在在线时尚零售商 N Brown Group 工作。

That new configuration left United playing catch-up and Ten Hag leaning on Vos for support — mindful, some suspect, of the transfer experiences of previous managers.

这种新的配置让曼联奋起直追，而滕哈格则依靠沃斯的支持——基于以前的曼联主教练不这样，有人怀疑这样是否合理

Ten Hag’s second summer followed a similar pattern of flexible plans, inflated prices, and broken budgets. United ended up committing nearly £200m on Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Altay Bayindir and Sofyan Amrabat, despite initially communicating internally that spending would be seriously restricted. Had the eventual scope of finance been known in advance, sources believe Ten Hag may have assigned the money differently, although he accepted landing Kane would have left little cash for any other players. United feel they strengthened the team in nearly every area required and took a long-term view by buying younger players (Hojlund, 20; Mount, 24; Onana, 27).

滕哈格的第二个夏天也遵循了类似的模式：灵活的计划（缺乏计划，脚踩西瓜皮）、高昂的价格和破碎的预算。尽管最初内部沟通称支出将受到严格限制，但曼联最终还是在梅森·芒特、安德烈·奥纳纳、拉斯穆斯·霍伊伦德、阿勒泰·巴因迪尔和索菲扬·阿姆拉巴特身上投入了近 2 亿英镑。消息人士认为，如果事先知道最终的资金范围，滕哈格可能会以不同的方式分配资金，尽管他承认如果优先选择凯恩，将不会给其他引援留下足够的空间。曼联认为他们在几乎所有需要的领域都加强了球队，并通过购买年轻球员（霍伊伦德20 岁；芒特24；奥纳纳27）来考虑到了长远。

Internally, the price set for Mount was £40m because he had only a year left on his Chelsea contract, but that was the first offer Chelsea received. United’s bidding rose 50 per cent to a total of £55m plus £5m in add-ons. If the full £60m is realised, United will be delighted, however, as they will make a £1m payment every time Mount plays 70 per cent of games in a title-winning campaign during his five-year contract.

曼联内部对芒特的估价为4000万英镑，因为他的合同只剩下一年了，但这只是第一份报价。接下来曼联的第二份出价上涨了 50%，达到 5500 万英镑+ 500 万的附加费用。当然如果6000万英镑的全额兑现，曼联将会很高兴，因为在他的五年合同期间，每当芒特在夺冠赛季中打满70%的比赛时，他们都会支付100万英镑。

Atalanta had told Hojlund he could leave for £50m, and United communicated they would draw the line at £60m, but then agreed a fee worth £72m during all-day talks in Bergamo that lasted until 3am. Atalanta had demanded £86m for a player they signed for less than £15m just 11 months earlier.

亚特兰大告诉霍伊伦德他可以以 5000 万英镑的价格离开，而曼联表示 6000 万英镑是底线，但随后在贝加莫进行的全天谈判中曼联同意了价值 7200 万英镑的转会费，谈判持续到凌晨 3 点。亚特兰大在谈判中要价8600 万英镑，11个月前他们买下小霍德价格是 1500 万英镑。

Onana signed from Inter for £47m, a year after leaving Ajax on a free. United agreed to pay Fiorentina an £8m loan fee for Amrabat, in part so the purchase clause was optional rather than obligatory.

奥纳纳以自由身离开阿贾克斯加盟国米，一年后被曼联以 4700 万英镑的价格买走。曼联同意向佛罗伦萨支付阿姆拉巴特 800 万英镑的租借费用，部分原因是买断条款是可选的而不是强制性的。

Once again, all those millions have pushed United close to the line on the regulatory caps set by the Premier League and UEFA, meaning the maximum number of deals possible this January is two loans, according to internal communications.

内部的说法是，这些交易再次让曼联接近英超联赛和欧足联设定的监管上限，这意味着今年一月份冬窗曼联大概率直接继续租借。

Considering United’s revenues for 2022-23 totalled a record £648.4m, it is regarded as some achievement that the club are in this predicament. United lost £28.7m last season.

考虑到曼联 2022-23 赛季的总收入达到创纪录的 6.484 亿英镑，俱乐部处于这种困境中也算是取得了一些成就。曼联上赛季亏损了 2870 万英镑。

An issue over several seasons has been a lack of link from one market to the next. There has been no overarching recruitment concept that has survived managerial changes. Critics also argue United are unable to leverage established industry relationships for better value and do not proactively cultivate the type of information-gathering that could give them an edge.

几个赛季的一个问题是每个转会窗与下一个窗口之间缺乏联系。没有一个总体的招聘理念能够在管理变革中幸存下来。批评者还认为，曼联无法利用已建立的行业关系来获得更好的价格，也没有主动去收集市场信息以便在交易中占到便宜。

This is compounded by frequent personnel changes. Staff built up a rapport with Keane, who was offered a long-term position, but his impending appointment was cancelled amid the financial uncertainty of the strategic review and so, this summer, Matt Hargreaves stepped in as head of football negotiations in a permanent role. Hargreaves was hired from Adidas, where he had good commercial relationships with players and agents, but had not executed transfers before.

频繁的人事变动更是雪上加霜。工作人员与基恩建立了融洽的关系，基恩获得了长期职位，但由于战略审查的财务不确定性，他即将到来的任命被取消，因此，今年夏天，马特·哈格里夫斯（Matt Hargreaves）出任足球谈判负责人，担任永久职位。哈格里夫斯是从阿迪达斯挖来的，他与阿迪达斯的球员和经纪人有着良好的商业关系，但之前没有进行过转会方面的工作。

There are inconsistencies even within a window too. During the summer, for instance, United went first for Mount because they feared Chelsea would otherwise sell different players to alleviate their FFP concerns, and Arsenal and Liverpool were in for him too. Observers regarded that as a jumbled strategy when a new striker was the priority.

即使在一个窗口内也存在不一致的情况。例如在夏天，曼联的转会最高优先级给了芒特，因为他们担心切尔西会出售其他的球员来减轻他们对FFP的担忧（导致芒特不卖了或者开价更高），而且当时阿森纳和利物浦也对他感兴趣。观察家认为，曼联当时在优先考虑引进新前锋时，这是一种混乱的策略。

Responsibility for instilling greater methodology and value for money falls to Ratcliffe, who will task Brailsford with investigating processes and recommending improvements. Industry sources say Brailsford is aiming to appoint a sporting director to oversee operations as well as a transfer specialist to refine recruitment. This has been interpreted by some as terminal for Murtough, and some people at the club anticipate his departure eventually, but sources insist no decision has yet been made.

拉特克利夫肩负着灌输更好的方法论和正确价格观的责任，他将责成布雷斯福德调查流程并提出改进建议。业内消息人士称，布雷斯福德计划任命一名体育总监来监督运营，并任命一名转会专家来完善球员招募工作。这被一些人解读为穆塔夫的终结，俱乐部的一些人预计他最终会离开，但消息人士坚称尚未做出决定。

Unlike Arnold, who agreed to walk away as chief executive owing to the changing ownership structure and issues with co-chairman Joel Glazer, Murtough has no intention of stepping aside. He has made clear his openness to staying and working with INEOS as part of a revised structure that could see his authority reduced, which former and current colleagues say is characteristic of a shrewd political operator.

由于所有权结构的变化以及与联席董事长乔尔·格雷泽的问题，阿诺德同意辞去首席执行官一职，与此不同的是，穆塔夫无意辞去首席执行官一职。他已明确表示愿意留在英力士并与之合作，在新的组织架构里谋一份差事，即使会削弱他的权力。前任和现任同事表示，这是精明的政治操作者的特征。（哥们挺能混的，求生欲强烈）

Murtough is seen by those who have worked with him as a great survivor, more amenable and less egotistic than other executives in his position who would reject operating under a new regime. One leading agent, not known for handing out easy praise, says Murtough is courteous and good to deal with. That range of views helps explain Murtough’s presence this month at Old Trafford alongside Stewart for meetings with Brailsford and INEOS sporting director Jean-Claude Blanc. The feeling was those meetings went well.

默特夫被那些与他共事过的人视为一位伟大的幸存者（译者：伟大的职场混子），与其他处于他职位的高管相比，他更顺从，更不自负，他们拒绝在新政权下运作。一位不以轻易表扬而闻名的主要经纪人表示，穆塔夫很有礼貌，很好相处。这些观点有助于解释穆托本月在老特拉福德与斯图尔特一起与布雷尔斯福德和英力士体育总监让-克洛德·布兰克会面的原因。感觉那些会议进展顺利。

Murtough has also been in Saudi Arabia with Hargreaves to establish connections before a January window that would see United open to offers for Casemiro, Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.

穆塔夫还前往沙特阿拉伯与哈格里夫斯建立联系，在一月份的转会窗口里，曼联将对向卡塞米罗、瓦拉内、桑乔和马夏尔的报价持开放态度。

Initial feedback from these talks is that while contacts have been established, Saudi club squads are full and greatly restricted on signings due to regulations, leaving some close to United believing this work should have been done earlier in the year to take advantage of the boom during the summer.

这些会谈的初步反馈是，虽然已经建立了联系，但沙特俱乐部阵容已经满员，并且由于规定而在签约方面受到很大限制，这使得一些与曼联关系密切的人认为这项工作应该在今年早些时候完成，比如今年夏窗就该干了。

To understand how United’s structure came to be shaped this way with these personnel, it is necessary to rewind to the David Moyes era.

要了解曼联足球事务结构是如何由这些人员塑造成这样的，有必要回到大卫·莫耶斯时代。

That is when Murtough entered the club in December 2013, a hire by the then-United manager because he wanted administrative support. Moyes had worked with Murtough at Everton and felt he was somebody he could rely on when stepping into the control room of a vast machine with several unpredictable parts.

2013 年 12 月，穆托夫加入俱乐部，当时莫耶斯因为需要行政方面的工作支持而聘用了他。莫耶斯曾在埃弗顿与穆塔夫共事，当他走进一台拥有多个不可预测部件的巨大机器的控制室时，他觉得他是可以信赖的人。

Murtough had got close to Moyes over a couple of spells at Goodison Park, assisting on all manner of things including logistics, sports science and recruitment. At United, Murtough earned the trust of Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman, by offering a sober perspective in a tumultuous time. Woodward had taken over from David Gill as the top official at United and was finding out the hard way that running the football operation was much more difficult than steering the club’s commercial growth.

穆塔夫在古迪逊公园球场与莫耶斯关系密切，在后勤、体育科学和招募等各方面提供协助。在曼联，穆塔夫在动荡的时期提出了清醒的观点，赢得了执行副主席埃德·伍德沃德的信任。伍德沃德接替大卫·吉尔成为曼联的最高官员，他艰难地发现，管理足球业务比指导俱乐部的商业增长要困难得多。

Murtough noticed Woodward struggling to get to grips with the transition, so he kept minutes of meetings and collated the information into easy-to-read documents. Murtough was an expert at regulations, having been central to the implementation of the Elite Player Performance Plan when working at the Premier League, and he assisted Woodward’s knowledge of granular details around the game.

穆塔夫注意到伍德沃德在处理过渡方面遇到了困难，因此他保留了会议纪要，并将信息整理成易于阅读的文件。穆塔夫是一位法规方面的专家，他在英超联赛工作时一直是“精英球员表现计划”实施的核心，他帮助伍德沃德了解了足球比赛的细节。（可怕的球盲三德子）

Woodward also wanted the departments at Carrington revamped and Murtough noted possible changes in a little black book while walking around the training ground and talking to staff. For those on the ground, the line of communication to Woodward went through Murtough.

伍德沃德还希望对卡灵顿的部门进行改造，穆塔夫在训练场上走动并与工作人员交谈时，在一本小黑皮书中注意到了可能的变化。对于基层人员来说，与伍德沃德的沟通要经过穆塔夫。

Murtough also struck up a good rapport with Woodward’s boss. When Joel Glazer flew in from the United States to go to a game, Murtough impressed with his thoughts on United.

穆塔夫还与伍德沃德的老板建立了良好的关系。当乔尔·格雷泽从美国飞来观看一场比赛时，穆塔夫对曼联的看法给他留下了深刻的印象。

There was, however, one influential person at the club who did not warm to Murtough: Sir Alex Ferguson. The tension between the pair exists to this day. One of the early issues related to Murtough surviving Moyes, the man who had brought him to the club, and growing influential after his sacking in April 2014.

然而，俱乐部中有一位有影响力的人物对穆塔夫并不感冒：亚历克斯·弗格森爵士。两人之间的紧张关系一直持续到今天。早期的问题之一与莫耶斯被干掉但是他没事有关，莫耶斯把他带到了俱乐部，在 2014 年 4 月被解雇后，反而是穆塔夫的影响力与日俱增。

As Ferguson’s authority at the club he had managed for 26 years began to subside, Murtough’s power grew. Woodward appointed him as head of football development in 2016 and asked him to reshape United’s recruitment system and academy setup.

随着弗格森在他管理了 26 年的俱乐部中的权威开始消退，穆塔夫的权力却在增长。伍德沃德于2016年任命他为足球发展主管，并要求他重塑曼联的招募体系和青训。

The task was codenamed Project Bethlehem and change swept the club. Murtough hired Steve Brown, having worked with him at Everton, and they ran a bespoke database of players called TrackerMan, from which Woodward proudly said United had reviewed 804 right-backs to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Brown’s job has at times been communicated as head of recruitment, but his title internally is now director of scouting and his brief is to organise scouts and collate reports rather than pass judgments on players himself.

这项任务的代号为“伯利恒计划”，变革席卷了俱乐部。莫托聘请了曾在埃弗顿与他共事过的史蒂夫·布朗，他们运行了一个名为 TrackerMan 的定制球员数据库，伍德沃德自豪地表示，曼联已经审查了 804 名右后卫来签下万-比萨卡。布朗的工作有时被宣传为招募主管，但他在内部的头衔现在是球探总监，他的职责是组织球探和整理报告，而不是亲自对球员做出判断。

A schism opened up at the club between the old guard and the new order. Some departing staff alleged they were pushed out for speaking against what they felt was a shift away from what had made the club so successful. They also questioned what qualified Murtough and Brown to oversee such a major restructuring at a club the size of United.

俱乐部中守旧派和新秩序之间出现了分裂。一些即将离职的员工声称，他们之所以被解雇，是因为他们发表了反对俱乐部成功秘诀的言论。他们还质疑穆塔夫和布朗有什么资格来监督曼联这样规模的俱乐部进行如此重大的重组。

In July 2019 Nicky Butt switched from head of academy to a newly created position as head of first-team development, with Nick Cox taking over the running of the youth department. This happened after a blazing row between Butt and Murtough in the canteen at Carrington.

2019 年 7 月，尼基·巴特 (Nicky Butt) 从青训主管转任新设立的一线队发展主管，尼克·考克斯 (Nick Cox) 接管青训部的运营。这件事发生在巴特和穆塔夫在卡灵顿食堂发生激烈争吵之后。

The pair had long had disagreements on various issues, but matters erupted when Butt discovered Murtough told a colleague he planned to move him out of his position by the end of the season. Butt was furious at what he saw as a secret plot.

两人长期以来在各种问题上存在分歧，但当巴特发现穆塔夫告诉一位同事他计划在赛季结束前将他从自己的职位上调走时，事情就爆发了。巴特对他所认为的秘密阴谋感到愤怒。

Murtough declined to comment for this article. Those close to him dispute the severity of the argument but acknowledge that tensions arose from what they describe as a misunderstanding over a proposed reorganisation of academy administration in which Butt would still have had a role. Murtough has told colleagues of his respect for Butt and his sadness at the breakdown in relations.

穆塔夫拒绝对本文发表评论。那些与他关系密切的人对这场争论的严重性提出了质疑，但承认紧张局势源于他们所说的对青训管理体系重组提议的误解，而巴特仍将在其中发挥作用。穆塔夫向同事们表达了他对巴特的尊重以及对关系破裂的悲伤。

Butt was adamant though. He had recognised Cox’s abilities suited the requirements of a head of academy more than his and was happy to vacate the job, but he regarded Murtough determining the move without his input as hugely disrespectful. Butt told Murtough this during a heated altercation, finishing by stating he wanted no further communication and walking off. Murtough followed in pursuit to give his arguments.

但巴特的态度很坚决。他认识到考克斯的能力比他更适合青训负责人的要求，并且很高兴辞去这份工作，但他认为穆塔夫在没有他的意见的情况下决定这一举动是非常不尊重的。巴特在一场激烈的争吵中告诉了穆塔夫，最后表示他不想再进一步交流，然后就走开了。穆塔夫追着他辩论解释。

There were also tempestuous scenes involving Murtough and Ferguson. United’s greatest manager was enlisted by Solskjaer to assist on the charm offensive for the Carrington visit of Birmingham City midfielder Jude Bellingham in March 2020. Solskjaer and his assistants had prepared an analytical presentation to prove Bellingham’s prospects in the first team, as well as compiling detailed personal reports, and felt Ferguson would add a glamorous finish.

穆塔夫和弗格森之间也出现了激烈的场面。索尔斯克亚聘请了曼联曾经最伟大的主帅，协助他在2020年3月对伯明翰城中场贝林汉姆造访卡灵顿时进行魅力攻势。索尔斯克亚和他的助手们准备了一份分析报告，以证明贝林汉姆在一线队的前景，并编制了详细的报告。个人报告，并认为弗格森会增添一个迷人的结局。

Murtough had a different view of how to approach the sales pitch, however. Ferguson shook hands with Bellingham, 16 at the time, but rather than allow them time to talk, sources say Murtough guided the player and his parents out of the room for a tour of the facilities. Ferguson was reportedly incandescent at the perceived slight and said so to Murtough’s face at a later date. Murtough has told people he did not interrupt the meeting and that, as with the Butt fall-out, any tension was the result of a misunderstanding.

然而，穆塔夫对于如何进行推销却有着不同的看法。消息人士称，弗格森与当时 16 岁的贝林厄姆握手，但没有给他们时间交谈，而是引导贝林汉姆和他的父母走出房间，参观了设施。据报道，弗格森对这种轻视感到非常愤怒，并在晚些时候当着穆塔夫的面如此说道。穆塔夫告诉人们，他没有打断会议，而且就像巴特事件一样，任何紧张局势都是误解的结果。

As time went on, Murtough’s influence became obvious to staff in Manchester. He effectively became the highest football executive at Carrington, with Woodward working from London. Murtough was the man responsible for signing off many developments at the training ground, but often there were delays and, in some cases, no answers at all. Colleagues were informed getting feedback from the Glazers, with Woodward another layer, caused a backlog.

随着时间的推移，穆塔夫的影响力对于曼彻斯特的员工来说变得显而易见。他实际上成为了卡灵顿足球俱乐部的最高高管，而伍德沃德则在伦敦工作。穆塔夫负责签署训练场上的许多进展，但经常出现延误，在某些情况下根本没有答案。同事们被告知，从格雷泽家族那里得到反馈，伍德沃德又增加了一层，导致了事情积压。

Whatever the reasons, slow progress on several projects led some at the club to describe the in-tray on Murtough’s desk as “The Black Hole”. Several critics describe Murtough as reluctant to make decisions, while there have been occasions when staff struggle to pinpoint accountability on certain calls.

无论出于何种原因，几个项目进展缓慢导致俱乐部的一些人将穆塔夫的邮箱描述为“黑洞”。一些批评人士称穆塔夫不愿做出决定，而工作人员也不知道有一些事情谁该负责

At other times, things would happen quickly. Amad Diallo, an 18-year-old with 24 minutes of senior football, joined from Atalanta for a fee potentially rising to £37m in the summer of 2020. Murtough worked on the deal, flying out to Bergamo and then spending two weeks in a makeshift office in his garage as a quarantine for Covid-19 regulations. Solskjaer had given his blessing to the signing 48 hours before the announcement, having watched some video footage, but he was unaware of the significant fee, which rose dramatically from when prospective buyers enquired at Atalanta earlier that year.

在别的一些事情上反而会很草率。阿马德·迪亚洛 (Amad Diallo) 是一名 18 岁的球员，在成年队踢了 24 分钟的比赛，他从亚特兰大加盟，转会费可能在 2020 年夏天升至 3700 万英镑。穆塔夫致力于这笔交易，他飞往贝加莫，然后在亚特兰大度过了两周的时间。他在车库里搭建了临时办公室，作为疫情时代的隔离办公区。索尔斯克亚在宣布这一消息的48小时前，在观看了一些视频片段后，对这笔签约表示了祝福，但他并不知道这笔巨额费用，这一费用比当年早些时候潜在买家向亚特兰大询问时大幅上涨。

Solskjaer initially believed Amad, an exciting talent, was an academy player but realised after the move was finalised that the money involved meant he was expected to soon feature in the first team.

索尔斯克亚最初认为阿马德是一位令人兴奋的天才，是一名青训球员，但在转会最终确定后意识到，所涉及的资金意味着他有望很快进入一线队。

A few months later, Murtough himself was officially promoted to a senior level. In March 2021, Woodward announced Murtough as United’s first football director, alongside Darren Fletcher as technical director.

几个月后，穆塔夫本人正式晋升为高级职位。 2021 年 3 月，伍德沃德宣布穆塔夫担任曼联首任足球总监，达伦·弗莱彻担任技术总监。

The hunt for such an important position had started when Jose Mourinho was in charge but after a process lasting more than two and a half years, with several major European executives linked, the appointments came from within and happened suddenly.

寻找这样一个重要职位的工作在穆里尼奥执教时就已经开始，但经过两年半多的过程，几位欧洲主要高管都联系在一起，这些任命来自内部，发生得突然。

The trigger, according to sources, was the offer to Murtough of a role at Inter Miami.

据消息人士透露，触发事件的原因是国际迈阿密向穆塔夫提供了一个职位。

David Beckham’s Major League Soccer franchise used Mike Forde as a consultant on shaping the club via his Sportsology company. Forde, director of football operations at Chelsea between 2007 and 2013, had a relationship with Murtough and recommended him for a leading role in Florida. (The pair are long-term close friends after meeting at Liverpool John Moores University, with Forde acting as best man at Murtough’s wedding this year.)

大卫·贝克汉姆 (David Beckham) 的美国职业足球大联盟 (Major League Soccer) 聘请迈克·福特 (Mike Forde) 作为顾问，通过他的体育公司塑造俱乐部。福特在 2007 年至 2013 年间担任切尔西足球运营总监，他与穆塔夫有过关系，并推荐他在佛罗里达州担任领导职务。 （两人在利物浦约翰摩尔斯大学相识后成为了长期的亲密朋友，福特今年在穆塔夫的婚礼上担任伴郎。）

Murtough informed Woodward of his intentions to leave and replied, when asked, that the only way he would stay was by gaining the job that had been so long advertised, if never properly defined.

穆塔夫告诉伍德沃德他打算离开，并在被问到时回答说，他留下来的唯一方法是获得曼联一直寻找的总监职位，即使这个曼联的总监也并没有被清晰的说清楚工作的责权是什么。

Woodward told colleagues that Joel Glazer had intervened to impress on him the need for Murtough’s promotion so he was not lost to Inter Miami. Woodward appreciated the difficulty of selling Murtough’s appointment to fans anticipating an established sporting executive, so combined the announcement with making Fletcher United’s first technical director.

伍德沃德告诉同事，乔尔·格雷泽介入是为了让他明白穆塔夫晋升的必要性，这样他就不会被迈阿密国际挖走。伍德沃德意识到向球迷（期待一位成熟的体育高管）来推销穆塔夫的任命是困难的，因此将这一任命与任命弗莱彻联队的第一位技术总监结合起来。

Fletcher is a highly respected figure in football, a graduate of United’s academy and winner of several major trophies, but the move spread surprise because he had only joined the first-team coaching staff two months earlier and had no experience in the role he was taking on.

弗莱彻是足坛德高望重的人物，毕业于曼联青训营，也是多个重要奖杯的获得者，但这一举动却引起了人们的意外，因为他两个月前才加入一线队教练组，而且对自己所担任的角色没有任何经验。

Sources say Woodward felt it important for public perception to have somebody alongside Murtough with a rich United history, but knew he could not give the job to Butt due to their rift. Butt, having worked his way up after returning as a coach in 2012, was aggrieved to be overlooked and also because the brief outlined for Fletcher covered many of his responsibilities on youth development. Butt had a meeting with Woodward to express his thoughts and, despite attempts to persuade him otherwise, he handed in his notice.

消息人士称，伍德沃德认为让一个拥有丰富曼联历史的人与穆塔夫并肩对公众的看法很重要，但他知道由于他们之间的裂痕，他不能把这份工作交给巴特。巴特在 2012 年回归担任教练后一路晋升，他对自己被忽视感到愤愤不平，而且弗莱彻的简介显示他也要负责青训的很多工作。巴特与伍德沃德会面表达了他的想法，尽管巴特试图说服三德子不要这样做，但是三德子坚持这么决定

In practice, the roles of Murtough and Fletcher have never been completely clarified publicly, although both have written job briefs internally. Fletcher was part of the interview team for Ten Hag while also continuing to assist with training sessions. He has a strong presence in the link between youth and senior football, but does not, as Woodward originally mapped out, have a pivotal role in selling United to senior signings. Murtough is the central figure for recruitment but, according to United, he also has a wider remit involving the academy and the women’s team, which he started and built up, and overall football operations.

实际上，穆塔夫和弗莱彻的角色从未完全公开澄清过，尽管两人都在内部撰写了工作简报。在滕哈格采访中，弗莱彻是教练团队的一员，同时还继续协助培训课程。他在青年足球和成年足球之间的联系中发挥着重要作用，但伍德沃德最初计划里，弗莱彻在曼联对成年球员的吸引方面并没有发挥关键作用。穆塔夫是招募的核心人物，但据曼联称，他还有更广泛的职权范围，涉及他创办和建立的青训和女队，以及整个足球运营。

Rangnick struggled to get his head around the setup. Appointed by Murtough as manager on an interim basis with the prospect of a director role at the end of the 2021-22 season, Rangnick soon found himself isolated. Murtough cut down communication on sensitive subjects. Rangnick, struggling to gain authority over players, responded by taking his observations public, stating that United required “open-heart” surgery to fix the issues at the club.

朗尼克很难理解这个设置。朗尼克被穆塔夫任命为临时主教练，并有望在 2021-22 赛季结束时担任主管，但他很快发现自己被孤立了。穆塔夫减少了敏感话题的交流。朗尼克正在努力获得对球员的权威，他通过公开他的观察来回应，称曼联需要进行“心脏直视”手术来解决俱乐部的问题。

When Arnold took charge as chief executive in February 2022 he conducted a root-and-branch review of club protocols. Internally, he asked hard questions of recruitment, wanting to know how United had got so little to show for a £1billion spend on new players. The result was Jim Lawlor and Marcel Bout, two long-standing chief scouts, being ushered out. Lawlor, a Ferguson ally, was judged to be dismissing too many targets as not good enough. Murtough and Brown, the main architects of the system, stayed on.

当阿诺德于 2022 年 2 月接任首席执行官时，他对俱乐部进行了彻底审查。在内部，他提出了一些关于招募的尖锐问题，想知道曼联为何在新球员上投入 10 亿英镑却收效甚微。结果是吉姆·劳勒和马塞尔​​·布特这两位长期担任首席球探的人被解雇了。弗格森的盟友劳勒被认为因为不够好而拒绝了太多目标。该系统的主要架构师穆塔夫和布朗继续留任。

Arnold also consulted Ferguson and Gill for their opinions. Ferguson advised Arnold to scrutinise Murtough and recommended an approach for Dan Ashworth due to his work building a club structure at Brighton, following on from success at West Bromwich Albion and the English Football Association.

阿诺德还咨询了弗格森和吉尔的意见。弗格森建议阿诺德仔细研究穆塔夫，并推荐丹·阿什沃斯（Dan Ashworth）的方法，因为他在西布罗姆维奇和英格兰足球协会取得成功后，在布莱顿同样建树颇丰。

Arnold contacted Ashworth to sound him out before he joined Newcastle United. But when it became clear the role would have been working under Murtough rather than as his superior, Ashworth declined to enter proper talks.

阿诺德在阿什沃斯加盟纽卡斯尔联之前曾联系试探他的情况。但当明确这个角色将在穆塔夫手下而不是他的上级工作时，阿什沃斯拒绝进行谈判。

Murtough too, has, privately investigated the addition of a senior recruitment specialist to his department, in addition to Hargreaves, but found several experienced individuals with proven track records did not wish to join given the ownership uncertainty. Executives in similar positions at other clubs have remarked on the unique complexities of steering United under the glare of intense scrutiny. In that period, he has been growing his network, and while he limits his interactions with some agents to protect his workload he has strong relationships with Dave Lockwood, of Stellar, and Frank Trimboli, of CAA Base.

除了哈格里夫斯之外，默特夫也私下调查了他的部门增加一名高级招聘专家的情况，但发现由于俱乐部所有权的不确定性，几位有良好业绩记录的经验丰富的人不愿加入。其他俱乐部担任类似职位的高管也谈到了在严格审查的目光下，领导曼联的独特复杂性。在此期间，他一直在扩大自己的人脉网络，虽然他怕工作强度太大不愿意和太多经纪人打交道，但他与 Stellar 的戴夫·洛克伍德 (Dave Lockwood) 和 CAA Base 的弗兰克·特林博利 (Frank Trimboli) 保持着牢固的关系。

Those who appreciate his way of working say Murtough is fair and clear, which is not always a given in the industry. He has implemented a new contract structure for signings and renewals that places heavy emphasis on incentives and builds in increases over the duration of deals, so that United are not hit hard in terms of financial fair play.

那些欣赏他工作方式的人表示，穆塔夫公平、清晰，这在行业中并不总是理所当然。他实施了新的签约和续约合同结构，重点强调激励措施，以便曼联在财务公平竞争方面不会受到严重打击。

Colleagues tell how Murtough has barely taken a holiday in three years as he tries to modernise United and insist the systems now in place are the best in years. They extended to the process for appointing Ten Hag. It was a rigorous series of interviews and background checks in which Ten Hag excelled when Murtough drilled down into details on his methods. Ten Hag had thorough answers for how he would deal with every imagined scenario and a clear plan for approaching the job of restoring United to a position where they were winning trophies. Fletcher added a tactical edge, asking Ten Hag how he adapts from domestic to Champions League football.

同事们讲述了穆塔夫如何在三年内几乎没有休假，因为他试图实现曼联的现代化，并坚称现在的系统是多年来最好的。他们扩展到任命腾哈格的过程。这是一系列严格的面试和背景调查，当穆塔夫深入询问腾哈格工作方法的细节时，发现他表现出色。滕哈格对如何处理每一个想象中的情况都有详尽的答案，并且有一个明确的计划来完成将曼联恢复到冠军争夺者的水平。弗莱彻问了战术问题，询问滕哈格他如何适应从国内足球到冠军联赛的情况。

In a later round of talks, Ten Hag was questioned by Forde, the chairman of Sportsology who had been brought in by Murtough as a consultant.

在后来的一轮会谈中，滕哈格受到了Sportsology主席福特的质询，福特是穆塔夫请来的顾问

Ten Hag also had a video call with Joel Glazer, who signed off on his appointment.

滕哈格还与乔尔·格雷泽进行了视频通话，乔尔·格雷泽签署了他的任命。

A different person will have authority over Ten Hag’s future, however. Ratcliffe feels United require upgrades elsewhere, rather than in the dugout.

然而，另一个人将有权决定腾哈格的未来。拉特克利夫认为曼联需要在其他地方进行升级，而不是在教练席上。

Although results will inevitably dictate decisions, even now indications are that Brailsford, as the man on the ground, will take his time to assess the club. Undoubtedly, manoeuvring the monster that is United, with its various high-profile stakeholders and enormous staffing levels, will be hard, whoever takes the reins. Ratcliffe has already identified that the employee tally of more than 1,000 can be streamlined.

尽管结果将不可避免地决定决定，但即使现在有迹象表明，布雷尔斯福德作为现场人员，也会花时间评估俱乐部。毫无疑问，无论谁掌权，操纵曼联这个拥有各种高调利益相关者和庞大人员配置的怪物都将是困难的。 拉爵已经确定曼联拥有1000名员工的规模需要精简

Sources say Ashworth is high in Brailsford’s thoughts, with Paul Mitchell, Julian Ward, Dougie Freedman, and Andrea Berta also discussed at INEOS. Former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards, who has held informal discussions with various United figures, is said to be happy running his advisory business, which launched in September.

有消息称，布雷尔斯福德对阿什沃斯很重视，保罗·米切尔、朱利安·沃德、道吉·弗里德曼和安德里亚·贝尔塔也在英力士讨论过。前利物浦体育总监迈克尔·爱德华兹曾与曼联的多位人士进行过非正式讨论，据说他很高兴继续经营他自己于九月份开始的咨询业务。

Players appreciate the issues are wider than the manager. One senior player, for instance, is said to be disappointed at United’s summer recruitment, having been promised major signings to get United competing for the biggest honours when he spoke with Murtough before joining. Kane would have come into this bracket.

相比主教练，球员们意识到这些问题更为严重。例如，据说一名资深球员对曼联的夏季招募感到失望，他在加盟前与穆塔夫交谈时，被承诺签下重要球​​员比如凯恩，让曼联争夺最大的荣誉

Ten Hag is, though, wrestling with dressing-room grumbles at his methods, with some players frustrated at late changes to schedules, overnight stays in Europe that keep them away from families, and unexpected selections in matches.

不过，滕哈格正在努力应对更衣室对他带队方法的抱怨，一些球员对赛程的最新变化、在欧洲过夜导致他们远离家人以及比赛中的意外首发选择感到沮丧。

The mood at Carrington is described by some as flat, with Ten Hag and influential assistant Mitchell van der Gaag both approaching coaching in a didactic manner. Regular meetings going over specific instructions can last an hour.

一些人形容卡林顿的气氛平淡，滕哈格和有影响力的助教米切尔·范德加格都以说教的方式进行教练训练。讨论具体战术的定期会议可能会持续一个小时之长

Ten Hag is unapologetic over his determination to instil a strict code on and off the pitch, however. He feels discipline in training and during games helped United finish third in the Premier League and win the Carabao Cup last season, and continuing that approach is the only way to return the club to title contention. He wants players to fully understand tactical requirements. Ten Hag experienced pushback at Ajax before his demands clicked with the players, and trophies followed.

然而，滕哈格对于他在球场内外灌输严格守则的决心绝对不会改变。他认为训练和比赛中的纪律帮助曼联上赛季在英超联赛中获得第三名并赢得了卡拉宝杯，而继续这种方法是让俱乐部重返冠军争夺战的唯一途径。他希望球员能够充分理解战术要求。滕哈格在阿贾克斯经历了阻力，之后他的要求得到了球员们的认可，奖杯也随之而来。

United hired Ten Hag because he built two different teams at Ajax and also because he promised to get a grip on a squad populated by players who had at times taken liberties with Rangnick, Solskjaer and Mourinho. The fact certain players have been allowed to succeed managers is seen as a mark against the club by close observers, and generating an environment where there is accountability for actions across the board will be one of the main requirements for the new people at the helm.

曼联之所以聘请滕哈格，是因为他在阿贾克斯组建了两支风格不同的球队，也因为他承诺要控制住一支由一些不服管教（曾经对朗尼克、索尔斯克亚和穆里尼奥进行调侃）的球员组成的球队。有观察者说有些球员比教练还大，所以请他来做掌舵人就是要重新塑造一个新老板是说一不二的环境。