Erik Ten Hag Even Predicts Manchester United Will Still Not Be Able To Win The Premier League

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and Leny Yoro. (X/@ManUtd)

JAKARTA - Manchester United have not been able to win the English Premier League this season. This was also said by manager Erik ten Hag because the MU squad still needed total improvement.

MU still needs time to win the league title. Even though they have changed managers and have a row of expensive players, MU is still difficult to win the title. They seem to lose the winning mentality so they often lose their best performance.

This is what makes the Red Devils often lose against the teams on paper that can be defeated. Last season, MU, who became one of the leading teams in the Champions League group stage, was even eliminated in the early rounds. They didn't even qualify for the Europa League because they were at the bottom of the standings.

In domestic competitions, they are ranked eighth so they fail to qualify for European competitions. This is MU's lowest position since the competition changed to the Premier League.

Luckily, Ten Hag's troops won the FA Cup after beating Manchester City 2-1. This success made MU qualify for the Europa League next season.

Former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick said the team needed a revolution if they wanted to regain glory like the Sir Alex Ferguson era. He even said the club needed 'heart surgery' to restore conditions.

Rangnick became MU's interim manager for six months when he replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He was later replaced by Ten Hag in May 2022. During his tenure with Manchester United, Rangnick said the club actually needed at least 10 new players and made a total reshuffle of the club structure.

"It's not wrong with what Rangnick said. We've been working hard for the last two years. And, what he said is true. Clubs need a big operation," Ten Hag was quoted as saying by Irish Independent.

Ten Hag said he actually inherited the club with 'a culture that is no longer good' when he received Manchester United's offer. The former Ajax Amsterdam coach also received many suggestions as well as warnings before flying to Manchester. Including input from Louis van Gaal, former Ajax and MU coaches.

"When I started [as MU manager], I thought this would not be an easy job. Many actually gave me advice, including Lous van Gaal," he said.

"We really want this club back as it was a few decades ago. The club that has always won the Premier League and won the Champions League. But now we are still very far away from getting back on that path," said Ten Hag, who has actually given two trophies during the first two years at United by winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

"We have actually taken that step. And we have won two trophies. But with all our respect, it is far from the culture of being the winner. I am not surprised by what I inherited. Culture and mentality are not very good. If you want to win and be at your best every week, we have to change a lot," he said.

United last won the Premier League in 2013 when they were still being handled by Ferguson. After bringing MU to win and breaking the record for being the most league champions, Ferguson decided to retire.

The departure of the legend made MU complete. MU is never again the league champion. They have also lost to Man City, a city rival who for a dozen years has only been the shadow of MU.

When Ten Hag made his debut in the 2023 season, he was brought in third place and won the Carabao Cup or League Cup.

However, injuries that hit a number of players and various internal problems such as the Jadon Sancho case, Antony and Marcus Rashford made MU experience a decline in performance.

Ten Hag admits that MU is still far from being able to become the Premier League champion. Including if they return to compete in the Champions League, they also do not deserve to win it.

This season, Ten Hag carries a new spirit. Moreover, he received a contract extension until 2026 after several issues of dismissal were shaken. In fact, a number of names have been mentioned to replace him, including Thomas Tuchel. However, Sir Jim Radcliffe, the owner of the club's minority stake, defended him.

Ten Hag juga mulai melakukan perbaikan meski mendapat dana yang sebenarnya terbatas untuk sebuah klub besar. Ratcliffe pun hanya mengizinkan Ten Hag membeli pemain berusia di bawah 25.

Thus, MU brought in Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee and Lille defender Leny Yoro. Furthermore, Manchester United is eyeing defenders Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton and Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich.