Erik ten Hag has expressed a subtle regret that Manchester United did not secure the signing of Declan Rice, who instead became a key figure for Arsenal last summer.
The English midfielder has emerged as a pivotal player under Mikel Arteta, participating in every one of Arsenal’s 36 Premier League matches this season.
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Rice, who made a significant £100m switch from West Ham to Arsenal the previous summer, found himself among the nominees for the Premier League Player of the Year award this Thursday.
In the race to acquire Rice, Arsenal outmaneuvered their championship adversaries Manchester City, and Ten Hag has intimated a desire that Manchester United had been more actively engaged in the pursuit.
Despite a substantial investment exceeding £150m in new talent last summer, including Andre Onana, Mason Mount, and Rasmus Hojlund at Old Trafford, Manchester United was not at the forefront of the chase for Rice, despite their longstanding interest in the player.
When asked about Rice as a player and whether he would have liked him in his United team, Ten Hag said: ‘He’s a very good player. He would absolutely have fitted here.’
Man United are seven places and 29 points behind Arsenal as the two Premier League teams prepare to meet at Old Trafford this weekend.
Assessing Arsenal, who are challenging for their first league title in 20 years, Ten Hag added: ‘We go in every game to win, not prepare for the next game.
‘Of course it’s in the back of my mind [FA Cup final] but I want to put out a team that is eager to win and we choose the best team for Sunday to win that game.
‘I don’t take big risks with players now to win on Sunday, with the risk they drop out again but it’s not such a different situation if you have a cup final.
‘Arsenal are one of the best teams or probably the best team, is it City or Arsenal? Very ball secure, very good structures. We know we have to play at our maximum levels to get a result but we are capable of it.’
Gunners head coach Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, has told his players to ‘perform at a high level’ as they look to improve their poor record at Old Trafford.
‘Every game has a different context,’ Arteta said. ‘We know our history [at Old Trafford] how we have done over there, so we are going to have to be at our best to win the game.
‘We know what we need to do, but first we have to perform at a high level to deserve to win the match. That is where the focus is.’
