Explained: Why Erik ten Hag banned Man Utd squad from wearing suits to Carabao Cup final

• Red Devils waited six years for silverware
• Dutch coach leaving nothing to chance
• Trophy claimed after 2-0 win over Magpies

WHAT HAPPENED? The Red Devils faced Newcastle on Sunday with the first piece of domestic silverware in 2022-23 up for grabs. They prevailed 2-0 courtesy of first-half goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford, with a six-year wait for a major trophy brought to a close.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: United arrived at the home of English football in their tracksuits, with The Sun reporting that Ten Hag requested that suits tailored by Paul Smith be left behind at the team hotel in order to save precious time in pre-match preparations. The Dutch coach pointed out to United officials that around 10 minutes would be lost waiting on players to change out of suits and into their warm-up gear.

AND WHAT'S MORE: Ten Hag got the backing of United chiefs, with it also pointed out that the Red Devils squad always arrive at away games – a category a cup final outing at Wembley Stadium falls into – wearing their training kit. With that in mind, Ten Hag wanted familiarity and comfort to play a key part in his plans.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT? The decision worked, with United putting in a professional performance against Newcastle that saw them rarely troubled. There could be more trophy bids to come from them this season, with Ten Hag’s side still in the hunt for Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup honours.