There are a number of ways of summarising Manchester United’s season but most verdicts will be positive after Erik ten Hag’s maiden campaign at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman took the reigns at a time of unprecedented turbulence – even after several years of blindly wandering through the wilderness of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
A depleted United side had just sealed their worst-ever Premier League season and Ten Hag inherited a broken and aging squad plagued by cliques and divisions.
Over 10 senior departures, squad and morale-building activities and the attraction of a common goal has made a sizeable difference and very early on, it was obvious that Ten Hag was instilling some unity.
Results picked up quickly and by the end of February, Ten Hag had ended United’s six-year wait for silverware and they were marching towards a return to Europe’s fine dining table in the shape of the Champions League.
Meanwhile, the other team in Manchester were hunting a treble and that’s where Ten Hag will be looking to take his time and hopefully, he won’t have to spend endless amounts of capital and wait seven years for that to happen.
Ten Hag had the chance to dent his rivals’ bid this weekend but a tight affair at Wembley ended in a defeat for the Reds in the season’s curtain-closer.
In truth, although United bothered their opponents and could very well have taken it to extra-time after a flurry of good chances at the end, the 90-minute affair was a clear display of two sides at vastly different stages of their development.
Ten Hag has exceeded expectations this year and although supporters can be forgiven for getting carried away, the unfortunate end to the season was a reminder that it will take plenty of work before the glory days return for real.
