AFP: Manchester United are back in the Champions League but a bright future under Erik ten Hag remains clouded by uncertainty over the ownership of the English giants. Ten Hag ensured a top-four finish in his first season in charge of the Red Devils Thursday with a 4-1 demolition of Chelsea.
The Dutchman has also ended United’s six-year trophy drought by lifting the League Cup in February and the best could even be yet to come should Ten Hag’s men upset Manchester City’s charge towards the treble at Wembley on June 3. Ten Hag has performed a miraculous turnaround since getting off to the worst start of any United manager since 1921.
Embarrassing defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford in his first two matches are now long forgotten. The former Ajax Amsterdam boss earned a reputation as a disciplinarian after making his players run 14 kilometers after the 4-0 humiliation at Brentford in August – the combined distance the Bees ran more than his players during the game. But Ten Hag’s strict approach has paid dividends as he also won the club’s backing in a standoff that saw Cristiano Ronaldo depart mid-season for Saudi Arabia.