The Dutchman has not made the roaring start to the season he would have hoped for, but there are still signs of progress and some patience is needed
Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently likened his year-long negotiations with the Glazer family to buy Manchester United to fishing for salmon. Salmon fishing (he always puts his catches back in the river) is one of the billionaire's many passions, and Ratcliffe, who owns 400,000 acres in Iceland, set up the Six Rivers foundation to reverse the declining population of Atlantic salmon.
He also take as a keen interest in sailing, Formula One, and endurance sports such as marathons and Ironman triathlon. Ratcliffe's lifetime mission, however, was to own United, the club he grew up supporting as a boy in north Manchester. That opportunity finally arose in November 2022 when the Glazers held their strategic review.
Thirteen months later, the petrochemicals tycoon saw off competition from Qatari Sheikh Jassim to land a 27 percent stake in the club which he has called "a colossal enterprise" with "probably the biggest fanbase of any sports team in the world". The transaction, he told , was like reeling in a huge salmon as it required "enormous patience – it was on the line for a long time."
Ratcliffe has developed a reputation for being utterly ruthless and acting swiftly, as he showed with his removal of chief executive Richard Arnold and sporting director John Murtough, and with the 250 club employees he is set to make redundant. But his passion for salmon fishing and his love for the great outdoors demonstrates another aspect of his character, one willing to show a little patience.
And now Ratcliffe needs to show a little patience with Erik ten Hag, the man who he came so close to firing last May before giving him a reluctant vote of confidence. The Dutchman has not made the most convincing of starts to the new season and there have already been calls for Ratcliffe to pull the trigger. But as Ten Hag prepares to face United's biggest rivals, Liverpool, on Sunday, he needs to feel the confidence of his boss.
AFPDeja-vu
United are in a near-identical situation at the start of this season as they were at the beginning of the last campaign, which proved to be their worst since 1990. They got a largely uninspiring home win over Fulham on their opening day which had some similarities to their first victory of last season against Wolves, and then sank to defeat in their first away trip against Brighton, giving them a familiar feeling to how they were beaten by Tottenham in their second game.
The conceding of Joao Pedro's last-gasp winner crystallised the sense of deja-vu, as it was the sixth time United had lost a Premier League game after the 90th minute under Ten Hag. And it did not take long for disgruntled fans on social media and pundits to quickly point the finger at Ten Hag and demand he be sacked. Former United players were not far behind.
Dwight Yorke claimed Ten Hag was "not an elite manager" and said he expected Ratcliffe to sack Ten Hag swiftly. "There will be no hiding place at United for Erik ten Hag, and even though he has been given a new deal, the club are expecting improved results very quickly," he said. "They have now lost to Brighton and scraped past Fulham and I expect Sir Jim Ratcliffe won’t hesitate to make a change."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBetter than results suggest
United's minority shareholder should hesitate to act too swiftly with Ten Hag, though. Despite the familiar feeling to last season, the performances have been different, and better. The team looked solid against Fulham and the only on-target shots they conceded were efforts from outside the area, which were calmly tipped over the bar by Andre Onana.
It was a very different story to the ragged 2-1 home defeat by Fulham the previous season, when the Cottagers had 17 attempts, five on target. That was the game which sparked Jamie Carragher's brutal analysis of the way United played under Ten Hag, which he dubbed "low block, high press" and called, with some justification, "impossible".
United, who were outplayed at home by Brighton last season in a chastening 3-1 defeat, may have succumbed to the same ultimate result on Saturday, but, two defensive lapses aside, they looked more solid and more cohesive at the Amex Stadium.
They spurned good chances and had a goal that would have given them the lead ruled out for a freak offside. Even as United sunk to defeat in the relentless south coast rain, there were silver linings around the clouds.
Getty Images SportMore cohesion
The midfield looks tougher and more together, and is not getting repeatedly exposed on the counter-attack like last season. They are still creating the exciting transitional attacks of last season, though, with Amad Diallo's pace frightening opponents and Alejandro Garnacho looking like a real threat in the three appearances he has made off the bench. Indeed, there is a growing case for Ten Hag to drop Marcus Rashford and start Garnacho off the left of the attack, with Amad staying on the right.
United are also still integrating the new arrivals such as Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt, with the centre-back still yet to start a game. Nor has Zirkzee, even though he enjoyed a dream debut against Fulham.
The trio all missed the pre-season tour and need more time to get up to speed, while the team will soon gain some extra energy and power in midfield when Manuel Ugarte joins up with the squad after completing his move from Paris Saint-Germain.
GettyGetting stronger
Then there is the fact that starting centre-forward Rasmus Hojlund is still injured and Leny Yoro, the star defender who United beat Real Madrid to sign back in July, also suffered an untimely serious injury in pre-season.
Hojlund should be back in time for the trip to Southampton after the international break, with Yoro set to return between late October and early November. United's crippling injury crisis was a big factor in United giving Ten Hag another opportunity last season, so it is only fair that he is allowed to demonstrate what he can do with his first-choice striker and his biggest signing of the summer.
United’s next fixture against Liverpool might strike fear into some fans, especially given that the Merseysiders have made a strong start under Arne Slot, winning both of their games 2-0. But it is worth remembering that this fixture has often brought out the best of Ten Hag’s United, at least at Old Trafford.
