It is hard to argue against the fact that Manchester United has regressed since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013.
Up until the appointment of Jose Mourinho, United had not come close to success on the European or domestic stage since his managerial departure. However, progress looked like it was being made when the Portuguese boss led the Reds to the 2016/17 Europa League, League Cup and Community Shield.
The silverware was seen as a stepping stone for United on their path to a return to the glory days. Fast forward to March 2018 and those hopes appeared to have unravelled.
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After an underwhelming 0-0 draw in Spain, the Reds would be unceremoniously dumped out of the 2018 Champions League by Sevilla at Old Trafford thanks to a Wissam Ben Yedder brace. An apoplectic Mourinho slated his side immediately after the Tuesday night defeat and in his pre-Brighton press conference three days later, delivered an infamous rant regarding United's 'football heritage'.
"I say to the fans that the fans are the fans and have the right to their opinions and reactions but there is something that I used to call ‘football heritage’," he told the awaiting media. "I don’t know if, I try to translate from my Portuguese, which is almost perfect, to my English, which is far from perfect – ‘football heritage’, what a manager inherits.
"It is something like the last time Manchester United won the Champions League, which didn’t happen a lot of times, was in 2008. Since 2011, 2012, out in the group phase, the group was almost the same group we had this season – Benfica, Basel and [Otelul] Galati from Romania. Out in the group phase.
"In 2013, out at Old Trafford in the last 16, I was on the other bench. In 2014, out in the quarter-final.
"In 2015, no European football. In 2016, comes back to European football, out in the group phase, goes to Europa League and on the second knockout out of the Europa League.
"In 2017, play Europa League, win Europa League with me and goes back to Champions League. In 2018, win the group phase with 15 points out of a possible 18 and loses at home in the last 16.
"So, in seven years with four different managers, once not qualify for Europe, twice out in the group phase and the best was the quarter-final. This is football heritage.
"If you want to go to the Premier League, the last victory was 2012-13 and in the four consecutive seasons United finish fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. So in the last four years, the best was fourth. This is football heritage."
Similarly to Mourinho, Ten Hag inherited a squad that was not used to success. No trophies had been won since the ex-Chelsea man's era and the Dutchman took over a team in the doldrums.
However, beyond many people's expectations, United have managed to improve drastically, winning the League Cup this season and putting themselves in a strong position to finish in the top four. If that is as far as the Reds can go this year, so be it.
Mourinho's rant all those years ago was a warning to present-day Ten Hag. United cannot expect to rush back to their old success straightaway.
It is a long-term project and while that may be frustrating, it is a journey the Reds need to go on if they wish to replicate the Ferguson glory days.
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