Erik ten Hag asks Manchester United fans ‘have you got some pennies for me?’ when he’s told to sign both Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe… with the Red Devils only able to do loan deals in January as the Glazers try to sell.
A small group of Manchester United supporters have experienced the humorous side of Erik ten Hag after he jokingly asked them if they had ‘pennies’ for him after enquiring about the club potentially signing two of football’s global superstars.
The footage comes amid United’s January plans being largely limited to loan deals with the Glazer family looking to sell the club.
Supporters waiting to get Ten Hag’s autographs were delighted when the Dutchman wound down his window to oblige and instead of ignoring the various shouts from waiting fans, Ten Hag decided to engage.
‘Erik, do you think you’re going to sign Jude Bellingham?’ one supporter is heard asking.
This prompted further questions from the the waiting supporters, with a number of children looking to get selfies and autographs with United’s boss.
‘Or Mbappe?’ the same person is heard enquiring. Another individual then cheekily chimes in wondering if the club could ambitiously land ‘both’.
Through a chuckle, Ten Hag requested financial input from the suppporters should they want those two players, likely to cost a combined fee northwards of £350m.
‘Have you got some pennies for me?’
An older supporter then spoke for all of United’s fans, encouraging the Dutchman to ‘keep doing what he’s doing’ with the club on a run of seven wins in a row.
United are actively looking to sign a centre-forward this January, with football director John Murtough having told a fans’ forum in December that they would look to bring one in.
Ten Hag last month implored the club to set the ‘limits high’ in their pursuit of a centre-forward this month.
‘It’s always difficult. Strikers are expensive, especially in the winter,’ said Ten Hag. ‘But you have to set the limits high. We’re looking for it. We need to be creative and do everything we have in our power to get the right players in, who are fitting in the balance.
‘It’s about timing and availability. It’s about so many circumstances playing a role in that. It’s a long period and the window hasn’t even started.
Anthony Martial is currently the only recognised player they have in that position after the acrimonious departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last month following his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
‘As always, the main focus remains on the summer window, and we’re already well under way with our planning for next summer,’ he said.
‘January is a difficult time to find players that teams are willing to let go. • It’s no secret that we’re looking for a new centre-forward,’ he added. ‘We’ll see what’s possible in January but, as Erik told the media in Spain last week, we only want to bring in players who are good enough, and who will make the squad stronger.
‘We’re not going to sign players for the sake of making signings. You also need to remember that we invested over £200 million in the squad last summer and, as a club, we need to remain financially disciplined and compliant with FFP rules.
‘So, while we will be exploring options, I don’t expect it to be a busy January window on the men’s side.’
The centre-forward currently on United’s radar is Wout Weghorst, who is contracted to Burnley but has spent this season on loan with Turkish Super Lig outfit Besiktas. The club remain in talks over signing the Holland international on loan.
