Co-owner of Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, did not hide his doubts about the coach Erik ten Hag at the end of the previous season. This led to "The Red Devils" approaching alternative candidates such as Thomas Tuchel and Roberto De Zerbi before deciding to trust Ten Hag.
Ratcliffe attempted to create a sense of stability by extending the contract of the Dutch strategist for another year. In theory, Ten Hag will remain at Old Trafford until 2026.
However, when Manchester United entered the English Super Cup match against Manchester City, there was still a sense of uncertainty and many unanswered questions. Will they be the team that finished 8th in the Premier League last season or the team that defeated Man City in the FA Cup final? Can Ten Hag make the most of his second chance, and will Ratcliffe trust the Dutch coach for how long?
At the time of April and May, Ten Hag seemed very perplexed by questions about his job. However, that was partly alleviated during the pre-season period. The 54-year-old strategist refused to criticize INEOS, the company led by Ratcliffe, about their operational methods after the FA Cup final.
The defeat against Arsenal and Liverpool in the US did not affect Ten Hag much, but if he loses to Man City, the noise around Old Trafford will reappear. Another poor result against Fulham in the opening Premier League match will further threaten Ten Hag's future.
Last season, there was a feeling that Ten Hag had immediately lost his spirit after a poor performance against Wolves in the opening Premier League match. And he could not let that happen again, especially in front of Ratcliffe, Brailsford, new CEO Omar Berrada, and Director of Football Dan Ashworth.
When asked to look back at the start of the previous season and the preparation for the match against Wolves, Ten Hag already had a feeling that "something was not right".
It was a difficult tour in the US with too many trips and left the Man United players exhausted. Looking back, it was not surprising for those within the club when "The Red Devils" started the new season with 6 losses in the first 10 matches.
This summer, Ten Hag has softened his approach and allowed the players to go out for coffee during breaks between training sessions. Another change was also welcomed, with the 10-day training camp at UCLA in Los Angeles chosen instead of short stops in various cities. For the most part, this summer was considered positive for M.U, but that does not mean that all problems have disappeared.
The injury problem from last season has returned with new signing Leny Yoro having to miss 3 months and striker Rasmus Hojlund 6 weeks. Both were absent from the first match of the tour against Arsenal.
The worrying thing is that if there are more injuries, Ten Hag will have to deal with a large part of the team similar to the one that ended the 2023-2024 season. Yoro came to replace Raphael Varane and Joshua Zirkzee replaced Anthony Martial, but many similar questions still remain.
Beating Man City at Wembley 2 months ago helped Ten Hag keep his job. Another similar victory will be a positive step to ensure Ten Hag's future.
