“The plan last year was clear: we buy a striker and get a goalkeeper who is able to shape the football from behind, and an extra midfielder,” Ten Hag explained. “That was the approach and in theory we would then be stronger and be able to take the next step.
“But practice turned out to be completely different. That has mainly to do with all the injuries, especially in defence. We have had injuries all over the squad. That, in a nutshell, was what the core of this season was.
“I had a very clear idea of the direction we needed to go (last year), but because of all these injuries, and some other off-field issues, you never get that done.”