"Maybe the job is too big for him" - Pundits debate Erik ten Hag's signings at Manchester United after 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest

beIN Sports pundits Andy Gray and Jason McAteer have debated whether Manchester United's recruitment has been a failure under Erik ten Hag.

The Red Devils ran into their latest setback as they suffered a 2-1 defeat away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday (December 30). It was Ten Hag's side's 14th defeat of the season and there are question marks over the manager and the club's transfer business since he arrived last year.

McAteer thinks the jury is out on Ten Hag due to most of his signings failing to impress. He alluded to the fact that the Dutchman was never given such funding at his previous club Ajax (via the aforementioned sports channel):

"There's a lot of big questions to be asked about Ten Hag because he's never spent that kind of money, he's never recruited in that market before. He didn't at Ajax. Then he's gone to Manchester United and maybe the job's just too big for him."

Ten Hag has made 16 signings since his appointment, spending a reported £407 million. One player who arrived this past summer was Mason Mount from Chelsea in a £60 million deal. The English attacker has failed to impress, lacking a consistent starting berth.

McAteer feels Ten Hag's signings have let him down:

"You don't know if your recruitment is going to fail. You question it and say 'Mason Mount for that amount of money' You can question that, but nobody knows it's going to fail."

Gray argued that managers are always judged on their transfer business. He struggled to name a successful Ten Hag signing:

"Managers are solely judged on their buys and their sales. Who you buy and who you sell."

He added:

"I can't think of one (succesful signing) and I think he'll be judged on that. You cannot keep giving him 500 million."

Some of Ten Hag's signings have found some success during their time at Manchester United. Lisandro Martinez has impressed with his aggression at the back, while Casemiro was a standout performer despite dropping off this campaign.

Ten Hag will soon be working under INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe once his purchase of a 25% stake in the club is finalized. His team are set to oversee the club's sporting decisions which may see the manager take a step back from major recruitment decisions.

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Ten Hag reckons Manchester United stars returning from injuries will be like new signings

Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez are close to returning to action.

Manchester United have had to deal with a major injury crisis this season. The likes of Martinez, Luke Shaw, Casemiro, and Mount have been nursing injuries throughout the first half of the campaign.

Several injured players, including those mentioned, are edging towards a return to full fitness at the turn of the year. Ten Hag is positive that this will reignite his struggling squad (via Manchester Evening News):

"I think we are very optimistic. When the players return and now the luck is a little bit on our side in the matter of injuries then we have five or six new signings in January."

Manchester United currently sit seventh in the league following their defeat to Forest. They are nine points off the top four after 20 games played. Ten Hag's men have already crashed out of the UEFA Champions League and the Carabao Cup.