Can Ten Hag deliver another major trophy for Man Utd?

A string of torrid performances and results in the Premier League and Champions League left Erik ten Hag clinging onto his job by his fingernails at stages of the 2023/24 season, and an eighth-placed finish in the Premier League did little to help his chances of remaining in employment.

Even his excellent FA Cup final win over Manchester City, which secured major silverware for the Dutchman for the second successive season, was not enough to quell rumours of his departure.

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Those rumours were only quieted in the weeks following that Wembley success, with them truly put to bed as a one-year contract extension was announced on the 4th of July.

But can the former Ajax man continue his 100% record of delivering silverware to the trophy cabinets at Old Trafford?

Much of the criticism directed at ten Hag was justified, with his vague tactical set-up appearing to inexplicably leave his side both ineffectual in attack and wide open at the back. You know the old saying: It’s the worst of both worlds.

However, in defence of the 54-year-old, he has not exactly been given ideal working conditions over the past year.

New Man, New Money, New Mantra

An ongoing takeover has disrupted things off the pitch, and the overhaul planned by new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe should help bring the club up to scratch in a number of departments.

More directly, Manchester United were plagued by injuries throughout the season, with their defence coming under particular strain.

They were top of the table for time-loss injuries - defined as an injury that results in a player missing at least one competitive game - with 45, with similarly underperforming clubs Chelsea (43) and Brighton (41) being second and third respectively.

The result of this is that the previously-exiled Harry Maguire and a 36-year-old Jonny Evans, who had just been released by relegated Leicester City, were the two centre-backs with the most playing time for the Red Devils in the 2023/24 season.

Despite the justified tactical criticism, it is almost certain that United would have had a significantly better season had key players such as Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, and Victor Lindelof not missed huge portions of it.

Fernandes needs to fire on all Cylinders

One person rarely affected by such problems is the eternally match-fit Bruno Fernandes, who has missed just two games through injury since joining United in January 2020.

Rumours swirled about a potential departure, but the Portuguese maestro is now 1/8 to remain at Old Trafford this summer, and that will come as a huge relief to Ten Hag.

Fernandes did draw some criticism last season, but he is an integral part of the team and has largely played his part extremely well.

Across the past two seasons, no other player has generated more expected assists (28.5) or created more big chances (53) in the Premier League, while he also leads the way by a long distance in shot-creating actions (429).

Fernandes is just missing somebody to convert these chances, but that is likely to improve in the 2024/25 campaign.

Rasmus Hojlund showed huge signs of improvement in the second half of the season and Marcus Rashford is always capable of springing into form, while the expected arrival of talented Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee will further boost attacking prospects.

Signings on the Horizon

Defensive reinforcements could be in the pipeline, too, with Jarrad Branthwaite and Matthijs de Ligt strongly linked with moves to Old Trafford.

These transfers, combined with a less devastating injury list and a spot in the less taxing Europa League, could be the framework for a bright season under Ten Hag.