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Since Erik ten Hag arrived at Manchester United, he’s clearly exerted a dominant influence over the club’s recruitment, signing numerous players he’s worked with in the past. The first was centre-back Lisandro Martinez, and his former Ajax teammate Antony followed later that summer.
Then, this year, Ten Hag made another of his past Eredivisie stars, Andre Onana, his new goalkeeper, and reunited with midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, part of his team at Utrecht. The results of this approach have been mixed so far – Martinez won the Fans’ Footballer of the Year award in 2022, but Antony has failed to score in 21 appearances for the club this season, Onana has made five Opta-defined errors already this term, and Amrabat has struggled to maintain his place in the starting line-up.
Still, the Dutchman appears undeterred, and he’s now intent on linking up another of his old players in Manchester, based on a fresh report.
United tracking Brobbey to replace Martial
According to The Mirror, Ten Hag is “keeping tabs” on Ajax striker Brian Brobbey ahead of the summer transfer window. The 53-year-old wants to strengthen his attack with a competitor for Rasmus Hojlund and knows that Anthony Martial is poised to leave the club this summer at the end of his contract.
Ten Hag is also keen to add another forward this month, but financial constraints at Old Trafford mean that may have to be a loan deal, likely ruling out a winter move for Brobbey. Unless they can unexpectedly raise funds, they will instead “continue to scout” him until the end of the season.
United could face competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal, who are also in the market for a no. 9 and have “cast an eye over Brobbey”. The hope will be that Ten Hag’s existing relationship with the forward proves decisive.
The stats that show Brobbey’s red-hot form
Brobbey, 21, is a product of the Ajax youth academy, but he did briefly leave the club, joining RB Leipzig in 2021 on a free transfer. However, he failed to score in 14 appearances for the German club, and was loaned back to Ajax six months later.
After netting seven goals in 11 Eredivisie games to help Ten Hag’s side seal the title, he agreed to make a permanent £14m return to Amsterdam in the summer. In total, he’s scored 39 goals and provided 11 assists in a century of appearances for the club, including 12 in 24 this season.
Brobbey was in electric form before the league’s winter break, scoring four goals in four December matches to win the Eredivisie player of the month award. He now ranks fourth in the league for non-penalty goals (eight), and fifth for overall goal contributions (12).
While he’s actually under-performed relative to his non-penalty xG of 10.2, the most important thing is that he’s actually generating high-quality chances through his movement. He’s posted the third-higest npxG figure in the division, and places fifth for npxG per shot (0.22), which suggests he should score roughly one of every five attempts when things level out.
In addition to being a strong goalscorer, Brobbey is also effective at running with the ball. Dubbed a “powerhouse” by under-23 scout Antonio Mango, he ranks sixth in the Eredivsie for carries into the penalty area (24), offering Ten Hag yet another exciting asset.
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