The former Ajax manager was hired by Manchester United to succeed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was replaced as Manchester United’s manager by Erik ten Hag last summer, and a lot has changed at Old Trafford since then.
When United fired Solskjaer in December 2021, Ralf Rangnick served as an interim manager before Ten Hag was hired after three and a half successful years at Ajax. In the Dutchman’s first season, United came in third, won the Carabao Cup, and advanced to the FA Cup final where they lost to rivals Manchester City.
Here are the five biggest winners and losers from his up-and-down first 14 months in charge. There have been many changes on the field.
Winners
Marcus Rashford: Without a doubt. Under Ten Hag, Rashford had the best season of his career (so far), scoring 30 goals and dishing out 11 assists in all competitions. This summer, Rasmus Hojlund was added in an effort to lessen his workload, but Rashford will still be needed to drive United toward their goals.
Alejandro Garnacho: Rangnick gave the young player his professional debut, but last term was really his big break. The Argentine, who played in 34 games and became increasingly crucial over the season, notched five goals and the same amount of assists. The entire world is at his disposal.
Lisandro Martinez: Up to this point, Martinez has been possibly Ten Hag’s most fruitful signing. When the 25-year-old defender teamed up with Raphael Varane, he dispelled any notions that he wasn’t tall enough to play as a center-back in the Premier League.
Casemiro: United yearned for another strong midfielder and managed to find one last summer by any means necessary. When Frenkie de Jong proved to be unachievable, Ten Hag switched his focus to signing Casemiro, who cost an initial £60 million. The 31-year-old is arguably the team’s most crucial player.
Although the former Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is not the obvious pick, he deserves praise for what he has done to rescue his United career. Last summer, Ten Hag put him up for transfer; however, when no suitors emerged, Wan-Bissaka buckled down, improved, and is now ineliminable.
Losers
Harry Maguire: The England regular, who was benched after two games the previous season, also had the armband revoked this summer by Ten Hag when Bruno Fernandes took his place. Maguire is now fourth in line, thus any playing time he receives will depend on suspensions and/or injuries.
Cristiano Ronaldo: After Solskjaer re-signed him from Juventus two summers ago, Ronaldo sensationally returned to the scene of his global debut. However, after a contentious interview with TV host Piers Morgan, the second coming at Old Trafford ended badly barely 18 months later.
Adonis Martial Ten Hag made the Frenchman the focal point of the offensive area last season by making it known that he values the player and, in doing so, risked his friendship with Ronaldo. Hojlund will eventually replace Martial because, despite strong support, he has been unable to justify that faith.
Jadon Sancho: The English winger had trouble maintaining the form that made him so popular during his four seasons at Borussia Dortmund even before Ten Hag came. After that confrontation with his manager in front of the public, his future is uncertain. To win back favor once more may be a difficult task for Sancho.
Donny van de Beek is an elderly man. Van van Beek’s ideal transfer to United three years ago has just not materialized. This summer, the club deemed him surplus to requirements, but he has yet to find a new home. Ten Hag’s former protege now has one viable exit strategy left: travel to Turkey. Otherwise, he will miss the remainder of the season.
