While it was roughly six months ago that Erik ten Hag finally lost his job at Manchester United, it could be argued that the Dutchman’s fate was sealed far earlier, particularly following what has proved to be a damaging 2023 summer window.
Despite the way his tenure ended, it’s worth remembering that the former Ajax boss had overcome a shaky start to life at Old Trafford to ultimately enjoying a promising debut campaign at the club, securing a third-place Premier League finish and winning the Carabao Cup to boot – ending a six-year wait for silverware.
Although that season was punctuated by the lows of the FA Cup final defeat to rivals Manchester City – and the 7-0 drubbing away at Anfield – Ten Hag had largely helped to stabilise the Red Devils, having also overseen the resurgence of 30-goal talisman, Marcus Rashford.
What United needed then was to kick on again with a handful of marquee summer signings, in order to try and bridge the gap with those above them. Instead, in came an error-prone Andre Onana, an injury-prone Mason Mount, and a goal-shy Rasmus Hojlund.
That assessment may be with hindsight in mind, although the issues were staring the Old Trafford hierarchy in the face. Onana, for instance, had made a catalogue of mistakes during his time at Inter and Ajax; Mount had endured an injury-hit 2022/23 season at Chelsea and Hojlund had scored just nine Serie A goals for Atalanta.
Arijanet Muric
5
Robert Sanchez
5
Bart Verbruggen
4
Andre Onana
3
Alphonse Areola
2
Alex McCarthy
2
Nick Pope
2
Ederson
2
How different things could have been had different targets been acquired, be it Ten Hag’s first-choice striker, Harry Kane, or even a certain Declan Rice.
Why Man Utd missed out on Rice
There remains the feeling that during the days of the great Sir Alex Ferguson, both Kane and Rice would have ended up at Old Trafford, a point that club legend Teddy Sheringham notably made last month:
“I’ve been saying for the last couple of years, when Harry Kane and Declan Rice became available two years ago, if Fergie was in charge he would have gone out and broke the bank to get one of them. Both of them, probably, to lead by example.”
As reported by Sky Sports at the time, it was the England captain who was Ten Hag’s ‘number one target’, albeit with Rice – alongside Mount – also on the club’s midfield shortlist.
The then-West Ham United skipper had also been linked with a move to Manchester a year earlier, while in 2021, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was also seemingly keen on signing the rising midfield star from the London Stadium.
As it proved, Kane moved on to Bayern Munich for a fee of around £86m, while Rice made the move to Arsenal on a £105m deal, with the Gunners also edging out rivals Manchester City to make that deal happen.
Whether United were truly in the mix, considering the mammoth nature of the transfer fee, is a valid point, albeit when considering that £156m was spent the previous summer on Antony and Casemiro, it illustrates where the funds could have been more wisely invested.
As it is, the 26-year-old – who deemed the Emirates “project” to be more “exciting” than the one at the Etihad – is now the centrepiece of Mikel Arteta’s midfield, having since scored twice against the Red Devils over the last two seasons.
The one-time Chelsea youth project no doubt joins the list of those who got away for the Old Trafford side, although – thankfully – the club could be brewing their answer to the Three Lions star.
Man Utd's answer to Declan Rice
While Arsenal’s title bid faltered, it has proven to be a positive few weeks, at least, for Rice in north London, with the midfield machine scoring in the 1-1 draw against Ruben Amorim’s side, before producing stunning heroics in Tuesday’s Champions League win over Real Madrid.
Those pinpoint free-kicks highlighted another weapon to the £105m man’s already impressive arsenal, with the Gunners’ number 41 having perhaps helped to already book their place in the last eight.
Of course, back in Manchester, United already have a set-piece king of their own in the form of Bruno Fernandes, with the Portuguese playmaker notably netting from range against both Arsenal and Everton in recent weeks.
The 30-year-old is, however, a naturally more attack-minded playmaker than his Arsenal counterpart, with a better likeness seemingly shown in the form of young Kobbie Mainoo, even amid the 19-year-old’s injury-hit season this time around.
Described as a “generational talent” by teammate Hojlund, Mainoo has had a campaign to forget due to his repeated spells on the sidelines, albeit with it hard to ignore the brilliance of his breakthrough 2023/24 season, which was rounded off with the decisive goal in May’s FA Cup final.
Subsequently thrust in as Rice’s partner in the knockout stages of Euro 2024, as Gareth Southgate’s men surged to the showpiece, the United teenager was actually praised by his midfield colleague for his “leadership” despite his youth, with the pair forming a “nice partnership” in the centre of the park.
Much like Rice, Mainoo showcased his ability to feature as a number six or as a number eight during Ten Hag’s reign, with club legend Paul Scholes even stating that the pair are alike in the fact that it can be hard to pin down their best position.
Even so, what the two men both possess – as the Arsenal star showed on Tuesday – is the impact they can make in the final third, with Mainoo notably curling home in fine fashion against both Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool last season.
While we are yet to see the £20k-per-week starlet’s free-kick ability, he does mirror Rice in being able to thrive when popping up just outside the area, while at the other end of the pitch, the United man can also sniff out the danger when needed – as shown with his vital goalline clearance against Everton on what was his first Premier League start.
Where the two international colleagues are also alike, perhaps most notably, is their knack for driving forward with the ball from deep, with Rice ranking in the top 4% of European midfielders for progressive carries, while Mainoo ranks in the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.
A successful take-on is recorded when a player beats their opponent by directly carrying the ball past them while retaining possession.
The issue now for Amorim is finding a permanent home for his young sensation in the 3-4-3 system, having trialled the 2022 FA Youth Cup winner as a number ten of late, with it set to be a real waste if United fail to get the best out of their own Rice-like midfield powerhouse.
Bad news for Mainoo: Man Utd ready move for "out of this world" £52m star
Man Utd are seeking to bolster their midfield ranks this summer
1 ByRobbie WallsApr 8, 2025