After the disaster that was last season, Manchester United entrusted Erik ten Hag to take the club back to its rightful place at the summit of English football.
The Dutchman knew the arduous path that lay in front of him and had made it clear to the club that he needed backing in the transfer market as the current lot were not good enough to carry forward his vision.
Many players left for free, which in turn led to a gaping hole in the squad. There were lots of reports citing the lack of squad harmony which the Dutch manager needed to fix as well.
Source: “Erik Ten Hag told them [after the 3-1 against Arsenal], ‘This is the real United. We should be top, not Arsenal’. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/ePAFzEzSD9
— United Zone (@ManUnitedZone_) September 10, 2022
It could hardly have been a less auspicious start as United crashed to two consecutive defeats at the hands of Brighton and Brentford in the opening couple of weeks.
The pressure was ramped up on the former Ajax boss and many mischievous reports stated that the job might have been too big for Ten Hag.
The club eventually got him six players in the transfer market and the Liverpool game turned out to be the start of a four-match winning run which has seen the Red Devils get the better of their arch-rivals Liverpool as well as current table-toppers Arsenal.
The 20-time English champions have also won two away from home while keeping clean sheets in both, despite the fact that they have not really played as well as they could have.
ETH has changed the club’s outlook
From languishing at the bottom of the Premier League table, they currently sit in fifth place, just three points off the top.
And the current mood is buoyant to say the least and the manager has also sensationally claimed to his players that he feels the team has what it takes to mount a title challenge.
After they decimated the North London outfit, Ten Hag had reportedly said, “This is the real United. We should be top, not Arsenal.”
“It is felt their only title threat is City and if they slip up, then they believe they can capitalise,” The Sun have exclusively claimed.
Fans will be delighted to learn that their new manager has already changed the club’s outlook. Since Sir Alex Ferguson‘s retirement, supporters have been resigned to the fact that their arch rivals City or Liverpool will be battling for top spot.
With Liverpool and Chelsea struggling, Ten Hag’s words could yet ring true. But the players need to carry forward the momentum and the entire squad need to pull in the same direction.
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