Manchester United are undergoing yet another reality check after their most chastening season last time out. The 20-time English champions finished a lowly 6th and had to thank West Ham United for their loss on the final day to scrape Europa League football.
Their disastrous 2021-22 season has once again heralded a summer of change and Manchester United have already been in the process of it since May.
The exodus began with exits from the boardroom level. Long-term club CEO Ed Woodward left followed by the club’s head scouts Jim Lawlor and Marcel Bout. Lawlor left after 16 years and Bout after 8 years of respective service to the club. Former managing director Richard Arnold replaced Woodward and has overseen a raft of activities as the club looks to shed its old skin.
By far the most important piece of change was the appointment of former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman led Ajax to their 36th league title last season winning three of them in his time there. Ten Hag also roped in Mitchell van der Gaag, his assistant manager at Ajax along with Steve McClaren.
With the off-field personnel setup, the focus has been on improving the on-pitch aspect. The club bid adieu to plenty of players as free agents which helped trim down the bloated squad. Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Nemanja Matic were among the chief names who left Old Trafford.
The intent is now to mould the team into the ethos employed by Erik ten Hag. Therefore, the club has been selective and careful in their targets. Young left-back Tyrell Malacia was the first purchase in the Ten Hag era while the club have announced agreements in principle for Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez who are expected to join the team soon.
Now with a lot of activity done in the pre-season and with the 2022-23 season fast approaching, the hope is once again on Ten Hag’s Reds to bring the good old days back to Old Trafford. There is still a lot of work to be done though.