Manchester United Simply Must Back Erik Ten Hag As Manager

After yet another loss at the hands of Liverpool, Manchester United have had an embarrassing season to forget.

An aggregated nine-nil loss over the season against Jürgen Klopp’s Reds solidifies Manchester United’s miseries during this campaign, which has all-but ended their chances of even finishing inside the top four.

It will be officially confirmed by the beginning of next week that current Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag will become the new boss in the dugout at Old Trafford from July 1, which is a first step into a long road back to competitiveness.

Ralf Rangnick, the current interim manager, will take up his two-year consultancy contract with the club, and be the main purveyor of ins-and-outs over the summer period – along with the Dutch manager’s approval.

The German manager has said time and time again how a rebuild is absolutely essential this summer, with a whole plethora of players being lined up to leave the club.

The most obvious players to go are: Nemanja Matić (already confirmed), Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Lee Grant and Paul Pogba, with all of their contracts coming to their natural end.

Other players, such as Alex Telles, Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Harry Maguire and perhaps even local boy Marcus Rashford could potentially be on their way out, should an appropriate offer be submitted to the Old Trafford club.

While rooting out some of the players who are overwhelmingly not good enough to take the club forward is important, Ten Hag and Rangnick have an almighty job on their hands to bring in players from around Europe and beyond to change their immediate fortunes.

Fans of the club are not expecting to challenge for major honours for several years given the depths that Man United have fallen; but they do want to see likeable players at the club who fight for the jersey they wear. It has been too long since those Red Devils fans have enjoyed watching their team on a regular basis.

And while fans are also not happy of the current ownership, it looks predictable that the Glazers are here to stay for now.

Should that be the case, it is absolutely crucial from top management to every other area of the club that they back Ten Hag wholeheartedly. There have been too many managers that have found it difficult to veto decisions and have to play along with the powers-that-be.

Manchester United should not be in the market for star-studded players with huge egos, but younger, hungrier players with a lot to prove. A lot to fight for. And a lot to give the team.

Rangnick understands this with the way he comes across, but if he and Ten Hag do not get full autonomy of running the club immediately, Manchester United will forever find themselves at a crossroads with no forward momentum.