For Man United and Erik ten Hag in particular, the 2024/25 campaign has to represent a watershed moment.
The Red Devils underperformed to an incredible degree last season, despite winning the FA Cup against all odds.
They ended the season with a minus goal difference and in their worst finishing position in the Premier League era (ESPN), and were knocked out of Europe after conceding the most goals ever by an English team in the group stages of the Champions League.
Arguably, the win over Man City in the cup final gave ten Hag an unexpected stay of execution, when the smart money was on Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his board looking elsewhere.
Given that the Dutchman would’ve been due compensation, the board could be considered to have hedged their bets by extending ten Hag’s contract, but it does allow the club some sort of continuity at a very important time.
It’s also surely been a factor in United being able to agree personal terms with major summer target, Matthijs de Ligt, as reported by Manchester Evening News.
Ten Hag made de Ligt his Ajax captain when the latter was just 19 years of age, and it really wouldn’t be a surprise if he was wearing the armband at Old Trafford soon enough, at the expense of current captain, Bruno Fernandes.
As long as United can now agree a reasonable fee with Bayern Munich, it’s a foregone conclusion that de Ligt will soon be wearing the shirt of his new club, and he’ll arguably be installed as one of the club’s first-choice centre-backs for the season ahead.
It throws Harry Maguire’s future at United into doubt, but the England international has shown on more than one occasion how much he relishes the competition for places, and that’ll be of benefit to ten Hag in the long run too.
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