Manchester United are very keen to return to their glory days. The days of winning trophies every season and competing in the best competitions. Both the board, management and supporters are expecting to see great improvement in the coming season.
The club Laboured in the league last season with some unforgettable results and statistics. Their arch rivals in Liverpool, defeated them home and away in the league for the first time in many seasons. Liverpool scored United 5-0 in the first round of the league under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. They scored four in the second round at Anfield under Ralph Rangnick. A match most of the supporters would never wish to remember.
In an attempt to reclaim the lost identity and pride of the Old Trafford club, new management were quickly brought on board to lead the restructuring. Richard Arnold was appointed the club’s Chief Executive Officer, John Mortough was appointed the director of football for the club and club legend Darren Fletcher as the Technical director.
These new crop of individuals were charged to appoint a manager to lead the club to success.
The club had several managers on their list including Luis Enrique, the current manager of the Spanish national team. They club finally settled on then Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag as the chosen one to lead the rebuild process. Ten Hag joined Ajax in 2018, competed effectively in the Champions league in 2019. He was only unfortunately to be eliminated by Tottenham in the semi finals after defeating the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus prior to the semi-finals.
Most pundits and football fanatics were amazed at how he could use only a year to build such an exciting team for Ajax. He further won couples of Eredivisie with Ajax. With the reputation he has built and the brand of football he plays, any serious team who seek success would approach him. The Ajax boss, already excited with the opportunity to coach a club the caliber of Manchester United did not say no. He agreed on a two-year contract to become the new manager for the club as he leads their project.
In his agreement, it is reported that he requested to have a major say on transfers, both incomings and outgoings. He wanted to have total control over his players.
Ten Hag is a very young and ambitious manager who would not want to fail; therefore, recruiting the right players who fit his philosophy is key. He plays fluid attacking football, and he wants his team to always maintain possession the majority of the time. He has specific players who fit into his tactics and can help to execute his plans. Players such as Frankie de Jong who he nurtured in Ajax, Christian Eriksen, Anthony, Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez have all been linked due to the qualities they possess that fit well into the manager’s system.
His success at the club is generally dependent on the sort of signing he would make this season. Good signings that fit into his system would lay a strong foundation for his rebuild.
The club is already negotiating a deal with Barcelona for Frankie de Jong who is seen as a key figure in helping Erik Ten Hag to execute his tactics. Tyrell Malacia is almost a done deal for the club as they moved quickly to hijack his transfer to Lyon yesterday. It is also being reported that the club would be making a bid for Lisandro Martinez and Anthony in the coming days, which is very positive for his start.
Previous managers were let down by the club’s board and, even though you could feel some sense of excitement among the supporters, they still remain pessimistic.
