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For Erik ten Hag, the new start comes in the fixture that could have been his endgame. He could have bowed out against Manchester City at Wembley. Instead, reports of his demise proved exaggerated. Manchester United confounded expectations. He won the FA Cup and lost the sack race. Ten Hag’s reward was to keep his job, with a one-year extension triggered, and another Manchester derby in London, two months later and after making two summer signings.
There can be a sense of renewal to United, but also one that the past is inescapable. Ten Hag had hoped that injuries would be consigned to last season but Leny Yoro seemed to exhibit the characteristics of a 2023-24 United centre-back by promptly getting injured: the £52m teenager’s debut will be delayed for three months.
With Tyrell Malacia out and a further four doubts, he only has three senior defenders guaranteed to be fit to face the champions: the veteran Jonny Evans and the duo of Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez, who both only returned to training this week. It is possible the Wembley back four includes the 36-year-old Evans and the 17-year-old left-back Harry Amass.
Which, it is safe to say, wasn’t quite what United had in mind for their injection of the new this summer. A first window under the co-ownership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos has brought the arrivals of chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, defender Yoro and striker Joshua Zirkzee, a new coaching team around Ten Hag in Rene Hake, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Andreas Georgson and Jelle ten Rouwelaar.
There were hints of a new ethos in the transfer market, too: United have shown a determination not to pay the “United tax”, the habit of paying excessive prices that reached a ludicrous extreme in the £85m fee Antony somehow commanded. They are trying to buy younger, to avoid a repeat of the situation where they paid £63m for Casemiro when he was already in his thirties. They at least tried to start their business as soon as possible, with an early bid for Jarrad Branthwaite.
They nevertheless begin their campaign with, in all probability, a weaker team than they had in the FA Cup final.
In defence, they have neither the injured Yoro nor the departed Raphael Varane. In midfield, they parted company with Sofyan Amrabat, who had arguably the finest game of his decidedly mixed loan spell against City at Wembley, but have yet to bring anyone in. Indeed, with Paris Saint-Germain reluctant to drop their price for Manuel Ugarte and United willing to look at alternatives, Amrabat’s replacement may be, er, Amrabat: the Moroccan, along with Youssouf Fofana and Sander Berge, is among the options being explored. Casemiro, who was dropped for the FA Cup final before he was ruled out of it, may now have a chance to resurrect his United career.
In attack, meanwhile, Zirkzee, who only linked up with his new teammates last week, is likely to be eased into action. Ten Hag operated without a specialist striker in the FA Cup final, when Rasmus Hojlund was benched. With the Dane injured, he might do so again, but for a very different reason.
Jadon Sancho has played at Wembley still more recently than United, in the Champions League final. He may now be the false nine. “Jadon can play across the whole frontline. He’s an option for more than one position,” said Ten Hag. Last season, he was an option for none, exiled to train with the Under-18s. If it is a new start for him, it is for Mason Mount as well. His debut campaign at Old Trafford was disastrous in another way.
“We know he’s a high-class player and just bringing his skills in [will help],” said Ten Hag. “Last season, he had a very bad season, a very tough season for him because of all injuries and now we are very pleased he had a good pre-season.”
If the cliche suggests Mount could be like a new signing for United, they are still searching for several, while also looking to fund them. “It’s about timings, the market, the market options, the right moment and the right things,” said Ten Hag. There could yet be another midfielder, centre-back and right-back, but possible departures include Scott McTominay, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelof.
United seem in a permanent state of flux, City the less eventful club in Manchester. They have a lone arrival, in winger Savinho, even if their plans for continuity are being disrupted a little by the imminent £82m sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid.
A reason why United’s FA Cup win was so notable, beyond the backdrop of uncertainty about Ten Hag’s future as United spoke to other managers, was that Pep Guardiola almost always wins finals. With one exception: City have lost the last three Community Shields, which proved no impediment as they won the Premier League each season.
It is easier to say this game does not matter for them. For United, who have evidence they could beat City in a one-off game but, after finishing 31 points behind them in the Premier League, seemed distanced in other respects, there may be more to prove.
