English Premier League giants Manchester United have not been the same since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure.
From David Moyes to Louis van Gaal and from José Mourinho to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, no one has managed to give Manchester United sustained success.
They have failed to win the Premier League in the last nine seasons. Indeed, they have failed to win a single trophy since their Europa League triumph in 2016/17. Speaking of European competition, Manchester United, once giants in the UEFA Champions League, are currently failing to even make group stage appearances.
So to get through a dire situation like this, Manchester United wanted someone who could lead their club in the right direction. They brought Dutch manager Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford in search of his lost glory days.
What has Erik ten hag done in his short career at Manchester United?
Having won three Eredivisie titles in his last four seasons, the former Ajax manager came with a winning pedigree. But the challenge at Manchester United was much bigger than the one he faced at Ajax.
From the start, ten Hag demanded players who could help him play his brand of football. Manchester United managed to secure some of their targets in Antony, Malacia and Lisandro Martinez but also failed to bring in the likes of Timber and Frenkie de Jong.
Now his team played very well in pre-season, but when the Premier League started they suffered two defeats in a row which included a humiliating 4-0 loss against Brentford.
For his part, ten Hag decided to keep Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench until the forward adapted to his system. The decision was widely criticized but soon the Dutch coach showed why he wanted Ronaldo on the bench.
Manchester United won their next four EPL games, which included a 3-1 win against league leaders Arsenal.
They then narrowly lost against Sociedad but came back strongly against Sheriff in the Europa League.
This was followed by a humiliating 6-3 loss against Manchester City and two wins against Omonia and a Premier League victory against Everton.
Overall, this has been a topsy-turvy season for Manchester United. But what they have shown everyone is that they will not stop fighting.
The team is still a long way from being complete. However, ten Hag makes sure that day to day they are ideal for your setup.
The Dutch coach has achieved something else in this short period. Every signing United have made since his arrival has been shocking. In the recent past, this has not been the case for United.
He also revived players like Marcus Rashford and Martial who weren’t doing much before his arrival.
Whats Next?
In general, the Dutch manager has done quite well and even with the humiliating defeats, United are showing progress. They may not be the favorites for the title, but they sure can beat any big team on their day.
Ten Hag, who is a strong believer in the process, knows it will be a long journey for United before the glory days. There will be setbacks and lots of setbacks but it all depends on how they react after that.
