Erik ten Hag’s first moments at Manchester United prove why he will succeed

Erik ten Hag has already found some form of success at Manchester United but has some way to go until his tenure at the club can be deemed what the club were looking for.

Manchester United, prior to Erik ten Hag‘s arrival, were in a barren run of a lack of trophies. They had won just four competitive competitions since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson nine years prior, with neither of the Premier League or Champions League trophies arriving at Old Trafford since 2013.

Erik ten Hag, in his maiden season, won his first trophy as United manager, defeating Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final back in February. He also finished third in the Premier League, and lost in the FA Cup final – overall, it was a successful first season.

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But in order for his overarching time at the club to be listed among some of the best managers the Old Trafford sidelines have seen, he will need to win multiple trophies across a significant stretch, including the aforementioned league and European titles.

Speaking last week, Marcus Rashford explained that even when Ten Hag first joined the club, the only thing he ever spoke about was winning trophies.

“When he came in, I didn’t hear him speak about getting in the top four once, he just wanted to win trophies,” he told The Overlap.

“He said it doesn’t matter what [competition] we’re playing in, he wanted to try to win everything.”

This is the kind of mentality that a Red Devils manager requires in order to succeed. Ten Hag’s trophy-oriented mindset has so far paid dividends, with his players often echoing his thoughts – but this will need to continue across the next seasons if United are to reinstate themselves among the elite in Europe and beyond.

If this talk has worked once already with the Carabao Cup win, there is nothing to say that it won’t happen again across every competition United play.