Manchester United ended last season on a high with a 3rd-place finish in the Premier League and a Carabao Cup trophy. There was a great hope that they would be able to do better this season. However, it has not gone well for the Red Devils so far. Many things can be cited as the reason, like numerous injuries, off-field controversies, dressing room fallout, and more. However, as per Ten Hag, the drama surrounding the ownership change of the club is not one of them.
Manchester United are not having a good start to the season so far. They are already halfway through the first half of the 2023-24 season and they seem to be in a lot of trouble. Man United ended last season on a good note. With coach Erik Ten Hag on the helm, they ended their 6-year long drought by winning the Carabao Cup. They also ended the season in 3rd place in the Premier League table. As a result, they qualified for this season’s Champions League after a 1-year hiatus.
However, following Man United’s return, their performance in the Champions League has been less than impressive. They have won only a single match and lost 2 of their Champions League matches. They’re sitting in 3rd place in their group. If things stay the same, they could lose the chance to progress from the group stage. In the Premier League, they have won 5 and lost 5 matches so far. They are in 8th place in the league table and there are a lot of reasons for that.
Man United have been plagued by injuries among which many are long-term injuries. So far into this season, they’ve played 14 matches. Yet, coach Erik Ten Hag has not been able to line up his strongest XI even in one match. On top of that, Jadon Sancho had a fallout with the coach and has been out of the field for almost 2 months now. Additionally, Antony has been charged with assault by an ex-girlfriend. All of these have been on top of the ownership change drama played by the Glazers.
However, as per Ten Hag, that has not affected his players this season. He said, “I don’t believe the squad is affected. They are not thinking about strategic reviews or structures or whatever. Of course, they are committed to the club but especially they are committed to this team. They want to be successful and are therefore aware they need co-operation with their teammates. That is how the players are thinking. They want to play with the best and when cooperation grows, it is to their benefit.”
It’s been almost a year since The Glazers put the club up on the market for sale. After one drama following another, to the fans’ rage, it seems that the Glazers are not selling all the stakes of the club. Reportedly, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the British businessman, will buy 25% of the club with £1.30 billion. Apparently, he will have the football operations. This will include overlooking the transfers, coaches and players. Ratcliffe might acquire the rest of the club shared in the coming years if the deal goes through.
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