As things stand, our beloved Manchester United are well on track to achieve the coveted UEFA Champions League spot through the league placing in line with expectations set at the beginning of the season. One of the main targets for the newly appointed Erik Ten Hag was indeed Champions League qualification, as United had to content with a Europa League during the current season after last season’s 6th place finish, with a staggering 35-point gap behind league winners Manchester City.
This season, Erik ten Hag has brought us within touching distance of Manchester City (as at the 23rd matchday, a mere 2 points behind City who have a game in hand). Despite having the highest number of losses (5 lost matches) in the top four, as Arsenal (1st) lost 2, City (2nd) lost 4 and Newcastle (4th) lost one, United are still in with a chance to mount a late title challenge as we enter the final stretch.
The Red Devils are also the only English team still participating in all four competitions. We will be facing Barcelona in the UEFA Europa League, Newcastle in the Carabao Cup Final in Wembley and West Ham in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup.
Things look to be on track with the signings made by Erik, and he has also reinvigorated a certain Marcus Rashford who cannot stop scoring. In line with his reputation to promote young talent, he has also given a chance to impress to youngsters like Alejandro Garnacho and to a lesser extent Facundo Pellistri. With the ownership situation stabilizing and funds being made available for exciting incoming players by the new owners in summer 2023, whether it will be Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Qatar Emir through a consortium, or some other interested bidder, things definitely seem to be on the right track to achieve success, and finally get our hands on the elusive Premier League title which was last won under the management of Sir Alex.