From Amsterdam to Manchester, there’s a new dawn of Dutch swagger descending down upon Old Trafford.

Once paired with Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich II, his footballing philosophy is heavily influenced by City’s managerial mastermind, and dashed with a sprinkle of the once great Johan Cruyff’s ‘total football’ ideology.

“I learned a lot from Guardiola,” Ten Hag said in February 2019. “His philosophy is sensational, what he did in Barcelona, Bayern and now with Manchester City, that attacking and attractive style sees him win a lot. It’s this structure that I’ve tried to implement with Ajax.”

United fans, sounds good right?

Manchester United fans can be forgiven for having mixed emotions heading into the 2022/23 Premier League campaign. Whilst the club ultimately hired the top dog on their managerial shortlist in Erik Ten Hag, which is undoubtedly a step in the right direction – there are no two ways about it – the long list of fundamental issues crippling the club both on and off the field after years of horrific decision making behind the scenes will take more than the arrival of one man, and years to correct into success.

An almighty summer-long car boot sale of unwanted and unsettled players amongst the squad coupled by the arrivals of exciting new blood was expected amongst Red Devils fans – yet unlike many of their league rivals, United are yet to make a move in the transfer market. Losing midfield anomaly Paul Pogba due to the expiration of his contract may be contextually embarrassing given the circumstances surrounding the players relationship with the club, but failing to replace him in any way shape or form on the pitch could ultimately prove to be the most embarrassing move of them all.

Looking to capitalise on Spanish giants Barcelona’s financial crisis, Erik Ten Hag has identified fellow Dutchman Frenkie De Jong as the clubs number one priority in the transfer market, Barcelona we’re quick to reject United initial offer of £60 million plus add ons, but another bid has been launched in the hope of reuniting the former Ajax pair once more. Should Barcelona decide to negotiate and a deal be finalised, at least the objective to find an immediate Paul Pogba replacement can be ticked off. De Jong is a world class holding midfielder, and plays an important role when his team are in possession of the ball. His vision to spot a pass and constantly scan his spatial surroundings to create a pictorial understanding of where his teammates are on the pitch is second to none. Think, Thiago Alcantara of Liverpool.

Now, Thiago is an integral part of a formidable Liverpool side, but it did not come without a period of adjustment, and lessons learnt. Just like any player new to the physical aspect and ferocious pace of the English game, if United do sign their man, it will take time for his impact to show.

Ajax forward Antony is, according to Goal, ‘determined’ to team up with former coach Erik ten Hag at Manchester United this summer – his arrival would alleviate the pressure of performance from the shoulders of the young English pair Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho. Much like the heavily-linked Antony, they both have the potential to be world class in their favoured positions. However unlike the 22-year old Brazilian, both Sancho and Rashford underperformed last season – much to the annoyance of some United fans. Patience is required in that aspect, the phrase ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ springs to mind. They will shine bright one day, when that day is though – is the underlying question.

Nevertheless, the lack of impact and technical development shown in the entire squad, suggests the introduction of more than a few world class players is imperative.

Unless the fans prayed are answered, and chaos ensues late on in the transfer market, the departure of Pogba, Cavani and others mean United’s squad has more limitations than ever. It’s arguable that Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes are the only two world class players left in the squad, and it’s certainly evident that even with Ronaldo’s exploits under Sir Alex Ferguson over a decade ago – the team will have to rely on him and Fernandes more than ever before.

However before performances on the pitch are rectified, Manchester United and Erik Ten Hag’s number one priority should be to restore the spirit of his new, once great club. For over 100 years, United squads never-say-die attitude, free-flowing attacking mindset and the integrity and pedigree of the clubs board and chief executives were the underlying factor in their monumental global success on and off the pitch – since the Ferguson era came to its close, the mediocrity of the teams performances have been matched by consistent failure to rebuild higher up at the club.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick was welcomed with optimism by fans, especially after he was set to continue his work as an advisor to Ten Hag, the future started to look bright. As it went, his managerial tenure was abysmal – the Austrian did nothing with the side, instead scrapping his consultancy role in favour of managing his native country. One would suggest Rangnick found his time dealing with the United hierarchy much more difficult than he could have ever imagined.

Perhaps a step in the right direction would be the rumoured coupe of Michael Edwards – the man instrumental in Liverpool’s recent transfer success. He recently left his role as head of performance and analysis at Anfield. Edwards joined in 2011, had a huge part to play in hiring Jurgen Klopp and oversaw the low budget recruitment of Mohammad Salah, Sadio Mane, Andrew Robertson and more. His resume and experience speaks for itself – yet with the rivalry of both North West clubs, alongside Chelsea joining the race for his signature – Edwards opening office at Old Trafford seems nothing but a pipe dream. Frankly, unless United’s executive staff oversee an immediate overhaul in personnel, from top to bottom, including wide scale change to the Glazer’s ownership model (which we know won’t happen anytime soon) – the club will continue to cast a shadow of its former self.

Fans should be worried. And they really, really are. Outside CEO Richard Arnold’s house, a group of supporters prepared to protest the Glazers’ ownership – but the CEO instead brought them to a bar to talk things over. Describing the 2021/22 season as a ‘f****** nightmare’ and saying he wasn’t thrilled about where United are, he also revealed he’s worried about the club’s future having ‘burned through cash’.

If that wasn’t bad enough, earlier this week more leaked footage emerged – where Bruno Fernandes appeared to condemn teammates Fred and Alex Telles for filming a YouTube video at the training ground. The 27-year-old was caught dishing out an expletive-filled rant towards the Brazilian duo. Urging them to ‘Stop being such ballers! You are here to play football, not film it,” before instructing their camera crew to “Film my dick”. Telles and Fred’s reaction? “Chill out, you f***er!”.

Evidently, all is not well amongst the squad, morale is low, relationships are twisted and miracles need to be performed by the new man in charge to achieve any sort of success heading into the upcoming season. Miracles can only happen amongst those who believe in them – but this Manchester United squad bear no belief whatsoever, the likelihood remains no matter how high Erik Ten Hag’s stock can rise during his time at the club, he may inevitably fall foul to the same exorbitant responsibilities all 7 previous managers have found quite literally too much to manage.

Verdict: 6th

Ten Hag may hit the ground running early on the season, down to a temporary morale lift often formed as a result of a new managers introduction – but the clubs inadequate boardroom capabilities, a lacklustre transfer market and failure to replace key members in the squad (even with the coupe of De Jong), paired with a lack of identity on the pitch and the over reliance on Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo is a recipe for disaster. But are we really surprised anymore?