Manchester United’s Tough Road Ahead: Ten Hag Admits Club Needs Major Overhaul

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has conceded that his predecessor, Ralf Rangnick, was correct in describing the club’s need for “open heart surgery” to get back on track. Speaking to AD, Ten Hag also acknowledged that the Red Devils are still a long way from winning titles.

Rangnick, who took over on an interim basis after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure, left the club at the end of the 2021/2022 season, with United finishing a disappointing sixth in the Premier League with 58 points.

Ten Hag, who has been working to turn the club’s fortunes around, said: “Rangnick was absolutely right. We’ve been working very hard on that for two years, but he said it just right: it’s a thorough, very complex operation.”

The Dutch manager, who took over at Old Trafford in May 2022, admitted that he knew the task ahead of him would be tough, citing advice from Louis van Gaal, a former Manchester United manager. “I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job. There are a lot of people who have advised me,” he said.

Ten Hag’s goal is to restore Manchester United to its former glory, with the ambition of winning the Premier League and Champions League. However, he believes the club is still a long way off achieving this goal. “We want this club back to where it was more than a decade ago, to a club that wins the Premier League, which can win Champions Leagues. We are really a long way away from that, I think.”

As Manchester United continues its rebuild, fans will be eagerly awaiting progress under Ten Hag’s leadership. With a tough road ahead, the manager’s honesty about the club’s current state may be a sign of things to come.