Manchester United Mid-Season Review

By Omar El Araby, Staff Reporter, The Pawprint

Looking at Manchester United, the appointment of Erik ten Hag as Manchester United’s next manager had ushered in a new era for the club with its trophy drought having extended since 2017 and having won no league titles since the 2012/13 season which had majorly frustrated the vast fanbase. Ten Hag comes in providing a wealth of experience, having won multiple Eredivisie’s and having guided Ajax to the 2019 Champions League semi finals which are known as one of the hugest underdog stories of recent memory. Ten Hag is renowned for his attractive and attacking style of football, which has delighted the supporters of the Red Devils. Up until this point, his influence on the team has been hugely felt during his term, and he has already started to implement his philosophy and ideas into the team.

In order to strengthen after the poor season they had had before, they have been signing several new players such as center-back Lisandro Martinez from Ajax for £57 million and right winger Antony from Ajax for £86 million, left-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord for £15 million, midfielder Christian Eriksen on a free transfer, midfielder Casemiro from Real Madrid for £70 million, and Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer from Burnley and Bayern Munchen on loan deals.

Ten Hag has already dealt with a variety of difficulties in his new position such as disciplinary issues and unhappiness from Cristiano Ronaldo which he has dealt with superbly by creating a strong squad harmony and picking players based on form. If Ten Hag is to succeed at Old Trafford, he will need to get the team to continue performing at a high level.

Ten Hag has managed to significantly improve the form of players such as Marcus Rashford, Fred, captain Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw, and Diogo Dalot and get them firing while also fully integrating youngster Alejandro Garnacho into the first team and getting him firing.

This 2022/2023 season, Manchester United’s performance in all competitions has been superb to see with them still competing in all competitions. Erik Ten Hag has managed to turn their home stadium Old Trafford into a fortress as they are currently 12 games unbeaten at home. With 13 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses, they are now 3rd in the Premier League. While they have been consistent this season, the 2-1 victory over Manchester City and the 3-1 victory over league-leading Arsenal stand out as the most notable victories. Manchester United will meet FC Barcelona in the Round of 32 of the Europa League. Manchester United has advanced to the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium, where they will face Newcastle United. In the FA Cup, they have advanced to the fifth round, where they will face West Ham United.

Ten Hag has done a fantastic job of rebuilding Manchester United, and he has managed to excite their fan base for the first time in a very long time as they are eager to see what the future holds.