Man Utd will look to continue progress under ten Hag this season

Manchester United enjoyed a brilliant 2022-23 season under Erik ten Hag. While it was far from perfect, there are signs that they are finally on their way to competing for major honors once again.

After suffering back-to-back defeats at the start of the season in the Premier League, it felt like United may have made a mistake by appointing the Dutchman, but there was plenty to be happy about.

The Red Devils have had a number of false dawns in the past decade since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, but this feels a lot different. The ownership saga continues to dominate headlines away from the pitch, but that hasn’t hampered the team’s performance.

Marcus Rashford enjoyed his best season at the club reaching 30 goals in a single season for the first time. Most importantly, he looked like the player ever thought he would become – a true match-winner. He looked sharp and at one point  (December to February), it felt like he would score in every single game.

He scored some crucial goals last season and helped the club win the Carabao Cup against Newcastle United. He scored against Barcelona and also in the Manchester Derby. Another player who made a massive impact was Casemiro who joined from Real Madrid on a big-money deal.

Once the Brazilian came to terms with Ten Hag’s methods, he cemented his position in the side. And from there on, he looked like a beast in midfield. Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka both improved last season and played their part.

Bruno Fernandes was outstanding for the club, managing 15 assists last season in all competitions. Rashford also managed 11 assists. Summer signing Antony showed his class, especially in European games, while Cristian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez were immense for the club as well.

In fact, some of the transfers did raise eyebrows in the beginning, but Ten Hag was vindicated in the end. They also came close to winning the FA Cup, but lost to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the final.

Challenge

The major challenge for the 2023-24 season will be to consolidate their position and make sure they close the gap with Arsenal and Manchester City.

It will be too ambitious to expect the Red Devils to challenge for the Premier League title, but if they can win one or two domestic cups, maintain the top four position while staying in the title race for a major part of the season, and reach the knock-out stages of the Champions League, it will be seen as a major success under the Dutchman yet again.

Getting into the top four is getting difficult every season, and therefore the biggest challenge for United will be to maintain that position in the next season. They have to be very smart in the transfer market and buy top players.

Once again, the key for United will be to remove the fringe players and bring in proper quality to replace them. Harry Maguire has been stripped of his captaincy, and there is a possibility that he could be sold as well.

Maguire struggled badly last season under Ten Hag, and it won’t come as a big surprise if he moves on. Eric Bailey has no future under the Dutchman and he will definitely leave. Alex Telles has left the club, while the likes of Fred, Scott Mctominay, and Donny van de Beek could be offloaded.

Van de Beek came with a lot of promise but he has not only cut a frustrating figure at the club, the transfer has proved to be a disaster from the financial point of view as well. United can’t expect to get even half the price for what they have paid to sign him.

David de Gea was allowed the run the contract. The Spaniard has been the first-choice goalkeeper for all these years, but the club decided to let him go. There were suggestions that De Gea would accept a new contract on a reduced salary, but that didn’t happen.

Likewise, Dean Henderson is all set to leave Old Trafford as well. He is not willing to accept the role as a back-up keeper, and a move away from the club makes sense. Anthony Elanga, the highly-rated young winger, is drawing attention from a host of Premier League clubs and United are likely to offload him as well.

Strengthen

But they have been very cautious with their transfer dealings so far. United badly needed an attacking-minded central midfielder, and they moved quickly to sign Mason Mount from Chelsea. Mount, the homegrown Chelsea midfielder, failed to extend his contract at Stamford Bridge and the Blues decided to let him go.

Despite the fact that he had only a year left on his current deal, United still paid a handsome fee for his signature. The England international has got a wealth of Premier League experience, and he would add a different dynamism in the middle of the park.

Mount has entered the prime years of his career, and United must look to get the best out of him.

With De Gea gone, United moved to sign Andre Onana from Inter Milan. The Cameroon goalkeeper is seen as arguably one of the best keepers in world football, and it was a brilliant move to get him to Old Trafford.

Onana has previously played under Ten Hag at Ajax, and in theory, he shouldn’t take time to settle down in his new club. Onana was outstanding for Inter last season, and it looks like the Red Devils have made a smart decision to recruit him.

Jonny Evans has returned to his old club as well. Evans joined from Leicester City. The former United defender has been outstanding for the Foxes since he left, and he still has a lot of football left in him to contribute at the highest level.

United must sign a striker this summer. They already made a brilliant decision to back out of the race for Harry Kane. Daniel Levy was never going to sell Kane to any rival Premier League club and it’s ludicrous to pay in the north of £100m for him.

Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund has been targeted by United he is very young and inexperienced. It would be a massive gamble from the club if they enter the new season with a 20-year-old striker upfront.

Moreover, the price quoted for him are over the top. This is indeed frustrating that United are spending a lot of time and effort on any particular deal, and in the process, they are neglecting other areas. Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has been linked as well, but nothing is concrete at the moment.

If the Red Devils can sign another top midfielder and a top-quality striker, they can expect to enjoy another fantastic season. Supporters will be hoping the new frontman is onboard before their Premier League opener against Wolves on August 14. You can already buy tickets on Seatsnet for the game as it’s expected to be a sell-out as fans anticipate another exciting campaign under ten Hag.