Revealed: What Ten Hag told United first-team ace that made him want to leave this summer

Erik ten Hag is set to enter the 2024/2025 campaign with one fewer centre-halves at his disposal, as Willy Kambwala is closing in on a permanent move to Villarreal. 

The Manchester United academy graduate has already agreed a five-year contract with the Spanish outfit, with the club having signed off on a €10 million (£8.5m) fee which includes a sell-on clause as well as a buy-back option.

Kambwala will undergo his medical today before bidding farewell to the Red Devils after four years at the club – three were spent in the youth setup, where he impressed so much that he was awarded his Premier League debut in December 2023.

Following his maiden outing last term, the 19-year-old proceeded to make a further nine appearances. His two cameos in United’s FA Cup campaign ensured he claimed a winners’ medal when the trophy was lifted at Wembley in May.

Why Kambwala has decided to move on

It was Kambwala’s decision to make the move this summer, too, and you can’t really argue with his reasoning; according to Manchester Evening News, he was ‘reluctant’ to leave until he held talks with Erik ten Hag, during which the manager informed him that he’d be ‘way down the pecking order of centre-backs’.

As it stands, Ten Hag has Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans to choose from; the latter of the quartet penned a one-year contract extension on Friday.

However, it’s expected that Matthijs de Ligt will join the club in the coming weeks, with negotiations over his prospective switch accelerating after his Euros exit. As well as that, United have already had two bids rejected for Jarrad Branthwaite and are thought to be preparing a third to test Everton’s resolve.