Erik ten Hag suffered heavy setbacks in his first season as Manchester United manager, a season almost forgotten due to his impressive start in the league.
As the manager of Manchester United, you have to do something right if you can send seven to Liverpool, six to Manchester City and four to Brentford and still be highly rated in his first season. your.
And let's not forget, Erik ten Hag couldn't stop a 2-0 lead from turning into a 5-2 aggregate loss to Sevilla in the Europa League quarter-finals. The Spanish side went on to win the cup after a lousy final in Budapest, but they were close to finishing La Liga in the middle of the table.
There have been some really bad performances from United under Ten Hag, but those performances are sporadic enough to have minimal effect on the overall verdict on his England opening campaign.
The verdict is that United have got themselves a serious manager who - ten years after the big man's retirement - looks more like a potential long-term successor to Sir Alex Ferguson than David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. . Very, very soon, of course, but there is much to be admired in Ten Hag's limited work, no matter what happens at Wembley on Saturday. And it wouldn't be a huge shock if Ten Hag engineered a win in the FA Cup final, with United already picking up two wins at Wembley this season.
Winning the Carabao Cup, finishing third in the Premier League and reaching the FA Cup final was an impressive first season for Ten Hag, but there are intangibles that make United fans even more excited.
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For starters, he represents the club very well. There have been some odd complaints about arbitration, but in general, Ten Hag behaves in a manner befitting his position at a leading institution.
He is consistent but fair with his players, his treatment of Jadon Sancho is a prime example. Sancho needed to reassess his progress and Ten Hag encouraged him to do so and gave him space to do so.
The players seem to know their place well and need an assertive manager to tell the Manchester United captain that his time at the club is limited. But when he moves elsewhere, I guess you won't hear Harry Maguire badmouthing Ten Hag.
There are also players who have regained form or progress under Ten Hag. The contributions of Aaron Wan-Bissaka - as well as that of Diogo Dalot earlier in the season - have eliminated the need for a new right-back, saving money that could now be spent elsewhere.
Much of the transfer money currently available will almost certainly be spent on a striker. It remains to be seen if that striker is Harry Kane, but the only thing that can be said is that Ten Hag is helping United restore the shine that has faded in previous seasons. Of course, United have always been a big draw for any player, but the current man in charge of football has established himself as an attractive coach to work with. And his style is sure to become more spacious as he assembles the team he's wanted over the years.
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