Will Erik ten Hag begin life at Old Trafford with a Premier League win? Join Rob Smyth to find out
Hello and welcome to a new season of English football’s most addictive soap opera. Some brilliant new characters have been introduced to, but the audience are getting a bit bored of recurring storylines about laboured recruitment and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Enough of that increasingly tortuous metaphor, at least until they sign up to All or Nothing. Welcome to Manchester United v Brighton, Erik ten Hag’s first proper game as United manager. He’s the fifth man to take the job full time since Sir Alex Ferguson implored everyone to stick by United’s new manager nine years ago, and his first pre-season has been a mixed bag., and a few of last season’s underachievers looked reinvigorated.
Everything points to ten Hag being a top-class coach, so he should have the football covered. It’ll take time, though – last season, United’s worst since 1988-89, will be lurking in the players’ subconscious, waiting to emerge faster than you can say “here we go again”. A year ago they were dreaming of the title; in 2022-23, fourth place is the promised land.
Such negativity feels inappropriate, on today of all days, but the mood around the club remains pretty febrile. The easiest way to change it, now and forever, is to play good football and win games. If United do that, ten Hag will be fine. If not, the soap opera will get even trashier.
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