Man United’s preseason: What must ten Hag accomplish on summer tour?
Credit to Author: Rob Dawson| Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2024 16:10:53 EST
LOS ANGELES — Manchester United‘s season starts here. Players and staff have arrived in Los Angeles for their summer tour, and manager Erik ten Hag has problems to solve while on the road.
The 54-year-old will be in charge for the 2024-25 campaign, having endured a nervous wait after the FA Cup final (which they won over rivals Manchester City) to see if he would keep his job. There’s a sense among some supporters that Ten Hag is already on thin ice and could be sacked by new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos braintrust if the early part of the season does not go well.
Here, ESPN looks at the most pressing issues for the United manager as the summer tour gets underway.
Ten Hag’s main focus upon taking the United job in 2022 was to stamp his authority on the squad and instill discipline that he believed had been allowed to slip over time. He won major head-to-head battles with Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford, but over the past six months, the Dutchman has seen his iron grip steadily loosen. The players are all too aware that he was nearly dismissed from his position after the FA Cup final.
Then, only a few weeks after it was confirmed he would be staying, Jadon Sancho was allowed to return to the fold. Sancho was exiled after his public row with Ten Hag in September, but he’s now being reintegrated despite no suggestion from either side that he has apologised. Ten Hag craves control and he will be keen to show everyone he remains the man in charge.
Forward Joshua Zirkzee and defender Leny Yoro have arrived to replace Anthony Martial and Raphaël Varane, though any further additions will have to be funded by outgoing personnel. Ideally, Ten Hag would like another centre-back, a central midfielder and a right-back, but he’ll have to make room in his squad first.
Victor Lindelöf, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Antony, Sancho, Scott McTominay and Christian Eriksen, Hannibal Mejbri and Casemiro are all back in first-team training, and while not all of them will leave, there will have to be at least a couple of departures. Ten Hag will have to make final decisions on which players can go, and then leave it up to the club’s bosses to do the deals.
United haven’t offloaded players well in the past — though their signings so far this summer have hinted at a promising shift in policy and process — and that will have to change this summer if they are to complete a major overhaul of the squad.
United finished third in 2022-23, thanks in part to Rashford scoring 17 Premier League goals and 30 in all competitions. Last season, his contribution was eight in 43 appearances. Rasmus Hojlund is still young and Zirkzee is new to the league, meaning Rashford will have to shoulder his share of the responsibility in front of goal.
Rashford looked a shadow of himself last season but has already shown a willingness to get back to his best by returning early to preseason training. Missing the friendly against Rangers because of injury is a worry because, first and foremost, Ten Hag needs him to stay fit. United were the joint-lowest scorers in the Premier League’s top-10 last season with 57 — a mammoth 39 fewer than Manchester City — and that needs to be rectified quickly.
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Ten Hag has a number of players who can operate on the right, but no one has made the position their own. Rashford, Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho all want to play from the left side, while Antony, who likes playing on the right so he can cut in onto his left foot, has struggled to contribute since his seismic £85m move from Ajax two years ago.
Facundo Pellistri is a natural right winger, but despite the occasional first-team opportunity last season, he was allowed to spend the second half of the season on loan at Granada. Many fans would like to see Amad Diallo given an extended run in the team, particularly after he scored in the 2-0 win over Rangers on Saturday.
Right wing has been a problem position since long before Ten Hag’s arrival, but it’s an issue he has to solve.
Ten Hag will tell you that the biggest problem last season was the number of injuries to key players, and he’s got a point. Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martínez barely played and Mason Mount, Hojlund and Rashford all had extended periods on the sidelines.
Ten Hag has insisted it was down to bad luck, and while there’s an element of truth in that, sources have told ESPN that some players believe the problems began in preseason because they felt overworked. It’s vital for squad members to build their fitness at their training camp at UCLA, but it’s important they don’t feel exhausted before the campaign has even kicked off.