'This season is survival of the fittest' - Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd 'need to catch up' with rivals and targets signings 'in all positions'

United have signed young centre-back Leny Yoro and Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee in the close season, but Ten Hag feels further investment is needed if his team are to improve on last term's eighth-place finish in the Premier League and compete with their rivals.

While the Dutchman is convinced his squad is strong enough to beat any opponent, he is eager to ensure there are enough options available to deal with injuries, given his side were hindered drastically by fitness troubles in the 2023-24 campaign.

"I want the squad as strong as possible," he said at a press conference. "We already made two very good buys so when everyone is fit we have a team that can beat everyone. But with squad depth we need to catch up because we had injuries. This season will be survival of the fittest."

He added: "We are looking in all the positions to reinforce. We need a plan with the squad to make sure we are occupied in every area."

After beating Rangers in a recent friendly in Edinburgh, Ten Hag will hope his team put in an impressive display as they come up against Premier League rivals Arsenal in a pre-season friendly this week. That game will be followed by clashes against Real Betis and Liverpool before their pre-season campaign of the United States comes to an end.