Man United staff concerned by the influence of Erik ten Hag’s agent Kees Vos over transfers with his agency behind Rasmus Hojlund and Sofyan Amrabat moves

Manchester United staff have expressed concerns about the growing involvement of Erik ten Hag‘s agent Kees Vos in transfer activity at Old Trafford.

Mail Sport can reveal that Vos’s Sports Entertainment Group have become the go-to agency in negotiating player signings and sales for United, as well as providing informal advice on the transfer market.

In another indication of the close relationship between the club and SEG, it can be disclosed that Ten Hag’s son Nigel works for the agency as an analyst.

SEG worked on player sales and signings during a busy window which saw United spend £178million on four new arrivals, with Vos a regular visitor to Old Trafford and the club’s Carrington training ground. Their work included:

• Representing Rasmus Hojlund during his £72m move from Atalanta, with the Danish striker joining the company the month before signing for United.

• Acting for United in negotiations over the loan signing of Sofyan Amrabat from Fiorentina in a deal which gives them the option to sign the Moroccan international permanently at the end of the season.

• Selling United midfield player Zidane Iqbal to Utrecht in June just two months after the 20-year-old had joined the agency from rivals CAA Base.

Vos’ agency SEG played a key role in deals for Rasmus Hojlund (L) and Sofyan Amrabat (R) 

SEG’s growing influence has been noted by other agents unhappy at what they perceive as losing out on potential deals due to the link with Ten Hag. 

Despite such complaints, SEG are a globally renowned business, with 600 athletes on their books. The Netherlands-based company have also developed close links with Manchester City, as leading Spanish agent Pere Guardiola joined the company 18 months ago, bringing with him his brother Pep as a star client.

As the leading Dutch agency, SEG were previously involved in bringing Robin van Persie, Memphis Depay and Daley Blind to United, but their involvement at the club had dried up until they orchestrated the deal that led to Ten Hag’s appointment as manager in May 2022. 

Of United’s 45 intermediary transactions published by the FA between February 2022 and January 2023, which includes every contract issued by the club during that period, SEG are not listed once.

Ten Hag has previously been criticised for his tendency to focus on signing players he has already worked with. Antony and Lisandro Martinez both followed him from Ajax last year.

SEG were also involved in negotiations to sell Harry Maguire to West Ham before talks collapsed

Vos is a regular face at United’s training ground and employs Ten Hag’s son as an analyst at SEG

In addition, two of United’s main signings this summer, goalkeeper Andre Onana and Amrabat, had played for Ten Hag at Ajax and Utrecht respectively.

A source at SEG insisted that Vos had no personal involvement in negotiations with West Ham over Maguire. They also pointed out that as a global company they were involved in more than 300 transfers this summer, with the United transactions representing about one per cent of their business.

United sources said that it is not unusual for top clubs to have strong links with particular agencies due to personal relationships formed by their key personnel, which often brings advantages in the transfer market.

While acknowledging that the close relationship with Vos had become a talking point, United insisted that their senior leadership are comfortable with the position.

A spokesperson for Manchester United declined to comment.