Erik ten Hag forgot to mention Premier League leaders Arsenal when talking about the depth of the competition Manchester United face.
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The North London club sit top of the Premier League during the break for the World Cup, five points clear of Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta’s side have been exceptional, winning 12 of their 14 league games, with their one defeat coming at Old Trafford against the Red Devils in September.
That 3-1 win for Ten Hag’s side may go some way to explaining why he did not think of them when assessing the increased competition in the league.
Speaking to reporters while discussing the Glazer family’s attempts to sell Manchester United, Ten Hag explained why investment was so important.
“There’s a change in circumstances when you compare [the Premier League] with five or 10 years ago. The competition is much tougher,” he said.
“Newcastle are coming, even West Ham, maybe not now in the table but they have huge investment. “Spurs, definitely, and I don’t need to talk about [Manchester] City and Liverpool or Chelsea. You can quickly count seven or eight clubs that can compete in this league.
“It’s also about strategy, not just money. But it’s clear that when you don’t have the right players and quality players you will not be successful and achieve the targets you set.”
The Glazer family confirmed last month that they are seeking a sale of the club they have owned since 2005. The American billionaires have hired the Raine Group to find suitable parties and hope to move forward soon with the process.
“There will be more investment possible which is good,” he said. “We spoke about the culture we want, we spoke about objectives, goals and the culture and he confirmed it won’t change. It will be even better because more money will become available for this project.”
The Glazer family bought the club for £790m ($1.34bn) in 2005, but have been criticised by fans for their approach since. The American family has not invested more money since then.
