3 problems Erik ten Hag is currently facing at Manchester United

Manchester United are the most successful team in English top flight football. The club, which has won 20 league titles, hasn't managed to lift one since the great Sir Alex Ferguson left after the 2012-13 season.

They have had five managers and two caretaker managers since 2013 but have only managed to win a single UEFA Europa League and one FA Cup.

To restore old glory, Dutch manager Erik ten Hag has been appointed as the new manager of Manchester United. The Dutchman has prior winning experience, as Ajax boss he won three league titles and guided them to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in the 2018-19 season.

Rebuilding Manchester United, who finished sixth in the table last term and didn't qualify for the Champions League, is a big challenge for the 52-year-old Dutchman.

Let us take a look at the three problems he is currently facing at Manchester United.

#3 Signing Frenkie de Jong

According to a report by Express, Ten Hag has been handed a budget of £120 million by Manchester United, which isn't quite enough. He could look to raise more via player sales, but that still wouldn't add up to the amount required to sign world class players. On top of that, top players prefer not to join a club that doesn't offer Champions League football.

It happened for the first time in Manchester United's history that they weren't able to sign a new player in the month of June.

Having been linked with Dutch playmaker Frenkie de Jong all summer, Manchester United haven't been able to convince him to join. United and Barcelona have been in agreement since June, as the deal is said to be around €65 million with €20 millions as add-ons but it isn't clear if he wants to leave.

According to the Daily Star, Barca have asked De Jong to take a pay cut as they cannot afford his weekly wages due to their delicate financial situation. Talks are said to be ongoing between him and Barca. However, he hasn't shown any intention of joining United either, which shows the Red Devils' weakened image in the market.

As per the Athletic, De Jong is owed €17 million in deferred wages and hence does not want to leave despite both clubs reaching an agreement. With each passing day, it is becoming even more certain that the Dutchman will stand his ground and not come to the club.

The only silver lining for the Reds has been the signing of Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord, Christian Eriksen on a Bosman deal and an agreement with Ajax for defender Lisandro Martinez.

#2 A seemingly incompetent squad

Quality players like Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani and Juan Mata left for free this summer, with Cristiano Ronaldo said to be on the move. The Portuguese superstar missed Manchester United's training sessions citing family issues and did not travel with the team for the pre-season tour.

Losing so many players in a single transfer window will delay Ten Hag's rebuilding plans. The rest of the Manchester United squad is very raw and is not yet competitive enough to challenge for the league title.

Some might argue that this is the time for players like Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Anthony Elanga to step up but success doesn't happen overnight. These players will need time to improve and adapt to Ten Hag's philosophy.

The Mirror has reported that Ten Hag has issued the Manchester United squad five rules which they will need to follow in order to improve as professionals.

The five rules are :

1. Players will be dropped if late for training or team meetings.
2. Players must not drink alcohol during game weeks.
3. Players must eat food prepared by the club and no personal chefs.
4. Players' BMI will be checked monthly.
5. Players must complain to Ten Hag, not to their agents.

#1 Improve the fitness, mentality and morale of players

Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs on the planet and the team is expected to win every game. The current team, though, lacks the physical fitness and mental toughness to become winners.

Ten Hag has taken it upon himself to fit these players into his pressing style of football. Before the pre-season tour began, he was captured saying the following to the team in practice sessions:

"Making too many mistakes"

Along with their fitness, team morale may have also sunk due to top players leaving the club and the fact that they had their worst ever Premier League season. Ten Hag needs to start from scratch and help players enjoy playing the game again, but with a certain system and discipline.

He needs to instill a strong and a positive mentality into an ordinary team and make them winners, just like he did at Ajax.