Erik ten Hag has directly addressed Manchester United supporters after winning his first trophy as club manager in the Carabao Cup final.
A six-year trophy drought came to an end yesterday when the Red Devils saw out a 2-0 win over Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium. Goals from Casemiro and Marcus Rashford in the first half put United on their way to lifting silverware in front of thousands of adoring travelling supporters.
Erik ten Hag has now secured a trophy just six months into his tenure, which is a perfect testament to the drastic turnaround and impact he’s implemented on the side. United were on the back of their worst Premier League campaign to date last summer, he arrived and instantly worked his magic on a deflated set of players.
Now, they sit third in the league and are in contention for the remaining two competitions (the only English team remaining in all three) having just been crowned winners in the first final of the season. The squad have been exceptional, with every one of them playing their part in one way or another to get to this stage, but ultimately, the orchestrator behind it all is Ten Hag.
What’s even better, is that the best days of this era are yet to come.
Ten Hag’s letter to fans
The manager penned an open letter to the United faithful following the victory via the club website.
“To all Manchester United supporters,
I wanted to take the time to address you directly this morning. When I arrived at the club, we spoke about the challenge and importance of reuniting this group of players with our amazing fans. Believe me, this squad knows exactly how important you are.
The bond between the supporters and the team is there for everyone to see and what we experienced together yesterday will only further strengthen that bond.
The atmosphere generated by those of you at Wembley was incredible. From the first minute until the last you were there with us, driving the team on, supporting and encouraging them to get over the line to bring the trophy back to Manchester.
For those of you who couldn’t be there, we felt your support before, during and after the game. Know that each and every one of you will always play your part in this team being successful.
I am proud of my players and staff for their preparation and performances. Yesterday, we saw the required desire, spirit and determination that we must demand of everyone who represents Manchester United.
We set ourselves high standards every day. At Wembley we met those demands and got the reward of our first trophy together.
We know the importance of silverware throughout the history of this great club. We are so happy to bring the trophy back to Old Trafford but we are by no means satisfied and we will not stop here.
Together we have experienced the feeling of what it means to win together for Manchester United. It is truly magnificent and will only make each of us hungrier for more success.
This group has made great strides in the last few months but there is still a lot more to come. I can assure you that everyone at Carrington will be working constantly because we know that this club and you, our supporters, deserve more great days like this.
We will go back to work today, with full focus now on preparing to face West Ham in the FA Cup on Wednesday evening.
There will be no complacency in our desire to return this club back to where we want to be.
Please know that you are vital to what we want to achieve and take yesterday as proof of what can happen when we are all United together.
Thank you for your support and dedication,
Erik ten Hag.”
