Rasmus Hojlund transfer decision proof of Erik ten Hag's growing power at Manchester United

Manchester United will soon be three for three in the transfer window and while their work has been slow on the surface, the summer has been an undisputed success.

Rasmus Hojlund will become the third major arrival through the door at Carrington, following Mason Mount and Andre Onana after United agreed a fee with Atalanta on Saturday evening. An initial £64million will head to Bergamo with £8m of performance and success-related add-ons set aside for the future.

Erik ten Hag identified the 20-year-old as his prime striker target after moving away from Harry Kane, concerned that his club would be wasting time trying to speak with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy. The Dutchman was central to pushing the move through and spoke to Hojlund via video link on multiple occasions while those above talked numbers.

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Football director John Murtough had been in extensive talks with Atalanta for weeks and the club were adamant they would not pay more than £60m for their man. 'United tax' has been a real problem in recent seasons and under Ten Hag, those in charge are working hard to shake off their reputation as over-spenders.

As with Mount and Onana beforehand, United were in no particular rush to finalise a deal as they felt there was ample time before the 2023/2024 season kicked off. But today marks two weeks until they host Wolves at Old Trafford and for Ten Hag, push would have to come to shove.

The Reds boss had made no secret of his desire to adopt a clear 'strategy' in the transfer market and act on it decisively. For too long, big