MANCHESTER UNITED

FOLLOWING TOTAL APATHY, FANS DARE TO FEEL POSITIVE AGAIN UNDER TEN HAG

THE PLAN

It’s a( nother) new dawn at Old Trafford, with incoming manager Erik ten Hag the new messiah for a mismatched, underachieving squad. Red Devils fans no longer expect annual bus parades or even a serious title challenge, but attacking football, some semblance of structure when the team loses the ball and a top- four finish would be nice. Aside from bedding in his new faces, Ten Hag must help Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire rediscover their mojo, and find a way to win matches that doesn’t solely rely on a wantaway Portuguese pensioner saving the day – Cristiano Ronaldo’s 18 goals delivered 14 points on their own, more than any other Premier League player. Scoring more than a measly seven goals from set- pieces would be a decent start.

LESSON FROM LAST YEAR

No matter how bad things get, firing the coach midway through the season and replacing him with a managing director from Russia’s top- flight isn’t very wise – especially if the managing director in question has no coaching experience in England, or spent only two of the previous 10 campaigns as a manager. There have been many lessons since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 departure, but chief among them must surely be the importance of bringing in an up– and- coming coach with a clear philosophy and sticking by them until things click. None of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick fitted that profile. Now there is a sense that maybe, this time, things might be different under Ten Hag’s stewardship. And, really, no more Europa League.

THE MOOD

Following total post- Rangnick apathy, fans are daring to feel positive again, with a new manager in place and the hope of a new- look team. Many will celebrate Paul Pogba’s exit, yet there is an overriding sense that too many bad apples remain at board level to be fully satisfied. Ten Hag refused to take a holiday before starting work, and will look to Ajax for recruits to implement his philosophy at Old Trafford.

ONE TO WATCH

Sancho faded into obscurity last time out, registering just six Premier League goals and assists combined after his € 85m arrival. Now under a boss adept at deploying an attacking gameplan, can he match 114 goal involvements in 137 games for Borussia Dortmund?

MOST LIKELY TO...

Fall back on the Mcfred midfield axis by the end of September. That duo, say Twitter wags, offers the structural integrity ( and as much creativity) of a digestive biscuit in a piping hot tea.

LEAST LIKELY TO…

Finish the season with a plus or minus goal difference. United both scored and conceded 57 times last term; their defensive showing comfortably worse than relegated Burnley’s ( 53). It was the first time since 1989- 90 they failed to record a positive goal difference.

FFT VERDICT 6TH

They’ve cleared deadwood and hired a man with a plan, but another year in transition awaits. Progress is pivotal.