Erik Ten Hag has, over the past fortnight, seemingly emerged as the favourite to become the new Manchester United boss in the summer, with Ralf Rangnick’s interim period in charge due to come to an end.
The Red Devils are in a mess. Trying to evolve into a modern, ball-playing side as they have watched rivals Manchester City and Liverpool do in the last decade, their best players are woefully unsuited to the task.
As a result, the tactical shift that Rangnick has tried to introduce since he took over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November 2021 has not yielded the desired results, with United now sitting in 7th place, level on points with West Ham but having played a game fewer than their former manager’s new side.
Ralf Rangnick has not had the desired effect at Manchester United in his attempts to get them Champions League football (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images).
And Erik Ten Hag, current Ajax boss, has been sounded out as a potential summer replacement, an appointment made more appealing as a result of his small release clause, believed to be under £2 million. However, the Independent report that he has ‘not blown people away’ in his interview for the role, leaving the door open for others.
Why he has failed to impress
There seem to be several reasons that his name has not risen to the top of the list as a result of the interview process. Firstly, the fact that he does not believe that he can offer instant success at Old Trafford, despite the lavish spending recently. As per the report, ‘he believes the job is a five-year project during his interview for the permanent manager’s role’.
‘The 52-year-old put together a comprehensive dossier on the squad, where he argued United have been some way off “Champions League shape” in some time’, they continue, while he wanted ‘particular attention paid to fitness.’
In truth, both statements are accurate, whether the Manchester United hierarchy want to hear it or not. At some point, they will have to modernise.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 30 | 52 | 73 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 30 | 57 | 72 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 29 | 35 | 59 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 15 | 54 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 29 | 10 | 54 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 31 | 11 | 51 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 30 | 8 | 51 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 31 | 6 | 49 |
| 9 | Crystal Palace | 30 | 4 | 37 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 28 | -4 | 37 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 30 | 0 | 36 |
| 12 | Southampton FC | 30 | -9 | 36 |
| 13 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 30 | -10 | 34 |
| 14 | Brentford FC | 31 | -11 | 33 |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 30 | -21 | 31 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 31 | -33 | 30 |
| 17 | Everton FC | 28 | -19 | 25 |
| 18 | Watford FC | 30 | -28 | 22 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 28 | -18 | 21 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 30 | -45 | 18 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 20 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 14 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 14 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 12 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 9 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 9 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 8 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 8 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 7 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Romero, Cristian | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 8 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 6 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 11 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 6 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 5 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 5 |
