Erik ten Hag came back from the brink at Manchester United after the end of last season, with the improbable FA Cup victory earning him vital trust.
Ineos chose to give Ten Hag a contract extension, a huge sign of trust that he’s the man to lead the club into a new era under a new structure.
The work has begun to restore the club to its former glories but everyone is aware that it is a long-term project where more peaks and troughs will arrive.
A man who knows all about those troughs is David Moyes, who infamously got sacked about seven months into a six-year contract at Old Trafford.
He has now given his thoughts on the challenges facing Ten Hag, including an unexpected answer while revealing his opinion on United’s summer of head coach uncertainty.
David Moyes on Ten Hag’s biggest challenge
When David Moyes arrived at United, he came to a dressing room that had just won the Premier League and competed regularly at the top of every competition.
United were far removed from that iteration when Ten Hag arrived, arguably taking over at the nadir after Ralf Rangnick’s trainwreck tenure.
In the meantime, United had to watch their two fiercest rivals- Manchester City and Liverpool, fight it out at the top regularly.
Now that Jurgen Klopp, arguably the biggest architect of Liverpool’s standing is out, Pep Guardiola remains a stumbling block.
Speaking on Simon Jordan’s podcast Up Front with Simon Jordan, Moyes said Ten Hag’s biggest challenge now has nothing to do with the club itself or the players.
He said: “Overall, United’s biggest problem isn’t their manager or their players, it’s Manchester City and Pep Guardiola.
Erik ten Hag is fighting it at the moment, but he’s done well given the massive amount of pressure on him. Sometimes issues with the manager are easy things for the players to use as excuses.”
Moyes also talked about the “horrible situation” the Dutchman found himself in the off-season when United were pretty much openly talking to his replacements while keeping him in the dark about his status.
He said: “There was a situation in the summer where people are talking about the security of his job, and I disagree with that, I think it’s a horrible position to put the manager in, he’s dealt with that with incredible dignity.
” He’s come back and is challenging and fighting, he wants to make it right. Ten Hag has been fighting a battle for the past two years, and let’s not forget he’s won two trophies in that time. I admire him for his determination to fight back against the criticism.”
A problem with mentality?
While it is obvious to see that any team that wants to win the Premier League now has to beat Manchester City as some sort of “Final Boss”, it is probably true that someone like Sir Alex Ferguson would never have said City was their biggest “problem”.
Instead, Sir Alex memorably set out to knock Liverpool off their perch, something he managed to do successfully against all odds considering the situation he took over.
David Moyes was often panned at United for his underdog mentality when the Red Devils had always been the powerhouses of English football.
There’s a fine line between acknowledging the strength of opposition and planning to counter it and being in awe of them thinking they are the final hurdle regardless of what happens at your own club.
Ultimately, Ten Hag has also talked about eras coming to an end with regards to City and Liverpool so fans can rest easy knowing the manager sees them as a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.
That difference in mentality can often be the difference in the end.
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