Erik ten Hag could have his big Sir Alex Ferguson moment four years early

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is into his first final – just months after taking the job.

The Dutchman has made reaching the Carabao Cup final look easy, doing what no Red Devils manager has done since 2017.

Jose Mourinho won the trophy that year, his first season in charge, with United winning 3-2 against Southampton at Wembley.

Manchester United will face Newcastle on February 26, giving Erik ten Hag a unique opportunity.

READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loan deals for January 2023

Carabao Cup final

Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest manager of his generation. However, it took the great Scot four years to reach his first final in 1990 after his appointment in 1986.

Erik ten Hag obviously inherited a much better squad than the one Fergie took over, but in the context of Manchester United’s recent history, this set of players was on it’s knees when the Dutchman took over.

United were coming off a worst ever season in the Premier League era in 2021/22, with confidence drained and question marks over every player in the squad.

Fast-forward a few months and Manchester United are the only English club still competing in three cup competitions, and in the top four of the Premier League.

He has an opportunity to win a trophy in his first season in charge, a chance to set the tone for the years ahead.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s trophy win in 1990 sparked a gluttony of success in decades to come. Erik ten Hag will hope the 2023 Carabao Cup trophy, if he wins it, can do the same.

It will be just the start, and he will be four years ahead of Fergie’s schedule. In the event he does not win, there is still the FA Cup and Europa League to aim for this season – but Ten Hag will be utterly determined to win his very first trophy at the first attempt. It will send a major statement.

The Jose Mourinho parallel

There was a manager post-Ferguson who did win a trophy in his first season, two in fact. Jose Mourinho won the Carabao Cup and Europa League in 2017.

What happened next was where it began to go wrong. There became friction with the board, and his players, and the Mourinho era gradually disintegrated. Mourinho was fired by December 2018.

While nobody can see into the future, Manchester United appear a lot more stable under Erik ten Hag, who looks like he is at Old Trafford for the long haul.

There should even be new, ambitious owners in charge by the summer, who can work in synergy with Ten Hag, to help avoid the Mourinho/Glazer breakdown.