What does next season hold for United?

WITH Erik Ten Hag being closely linked with the full-time Manchester United managerial role, there is no doubt that there will once again be rumours of a squad overhaul at the end of the season.

Every year, there are reports of the same thing happening and that “this will finally be the season United returns to its former glory” before that ends up not happening.

Instead, there are one or two signings while the players who are consistently out of form and surplus to requirements end up staying. How long did it take the club to eventually sanction a loan for Anthony Martial? Phil Jones has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford for years yet he is still on the books.

Another reason why United have * struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson left is because they have hesitated to make decisions on big players. The high profile players that are being linked away from them are Paul Pogba, Jones, Donny van de Beek, Eric Bailly, Dean Henderson, Jesse Lingard, Edinson Cavani and Juan Mata. We will have to wait and see whether all end up leaving.

Ferguson never hesitated to make hard calls, so much so that he even agreed to sell David Beckham at prime to Real Madrid in 2003. He didn’t care about the criticism that he got from fans and the press and was subsequently rewarded through United’s consistently good performances under his management.

With that being said, United followers can be somewhat confident that things may change under Ten Hag. The club’s mission has always been about playing youth and winning through adversity which are things that Ten Hag has been proven to do during his time in charge of Ajax Amsterdam.

Since Ferguson’s retirement, Louis van Gaal was the most tactically astute manager that the club have had, though he was let down by not understanding the United way which is playing youth and winning through adversity.

However, it is unlikely that United will achieve immediate success under Ten Hag. When Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola first took charge of Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, both clubs were not immediately title challengers. It took them years to build their clubs into what they are now.

One of Ten Hag’s best qualities as well is that he infuses an attractive and positive style of play so the ultra-defensive tactics United have sometimes used are unlikely to be seen under his leadership.