What Will Round Off An Excellent Season For Manchester United?

As the season draws to a close for Manchester United, they find themselves having won domestic cup already, fighting for a top four Champions League-qualifying position, and another final to come against their Mancunian rivals.

If you would have given this scenario to Manchester United fans at the start of the season – especially after the two opening results – they would have bitten any hand off that offered this in a heartbeat.

The Red Devils came into this season off an embarrassing end to last year’s campaign with Ralf Rangnick, with the club going down a negative trajectory. But since Erik Ten Hag and his coaching staff have entered the building and got their feet under the table, Manchester United’s fortunes have risen.

There have been ups and downs along the way, like with any season, but Manchester United have come through the best part of it with a large amount of positivity brewing.

Injuries have not helped, especially in the Europa League when Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane were both hauled off against Sevilla. But Ten Hag has adapted and adjusted along every step and corrected any wrongdoings going into the next match.

With one trophy already collected this season, it takes the pressure firmly off Ten Hag and his players in answering the question of when silverware will be won. Going into the FA Cup, where Manchester City will be overwhelming favourites, the Red Devils can play the underdog role and have a enormous say in whether their across-town rivals achieve the treble this season.

At a minimum from where the club are at now, a top four finish and Champions League qualification is an absolute must. Sitting in fourth, currently having played one game fewer, but level on points with Newcastle United.

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur remain the challengers outside the current top four, but both have played two games more than Manchester United, and sit six points off them even with that advantage.

Manchester United threw away a 2-0 lead against top four rivals Tottenham away from home on Thursday evening, which was another disappointing performance in the second half of a match. However, they came away with a point that does not allow Spurs to close the gap on their pursuit.

With Manchester City in the FA Cup final, it will be an amazing spectacle to see a Manchester derby played out at Wembley for the first time. Ten Hag’s team are clearly the overwhelming underdogs given how well Pep Guardiola has his City team drilled and competing on all fronts, but that is not to suggest there cannot be an upset on the cards.

The Citizens are chasing the elusive treble and their first Champions League trophy, with a potential final, should they get there, taking place a week after the FA Cup final. Man United have it in their hands to take that treble possibility away from them but will have to showcase some of their finest football of the season for 90 minutes.

Fans can be happy with the progress shown under Ten Hag this season, but as seen most recently against Tottenham, there is a long, long way to go in reaching the pinnacle of European football once again.