Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United Premier League report card after 13 games reads 23 points, a goal difference of -1 (18 scored, 19 against), and fifth place before the weekend’s matches. As United visit Fulham for Sunday’s late match, the verdict on the Dutchman’s fledgling tenure might be one of fair progress given the surgery required on a team that trailed in 35 points behind Manchester City last May.
But the nine years since United’s last Premier League triumph in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season have featured a catalogue of missteps and false dawns, and Ten Hag is the fifth manager who is attempting to solve the United conundrum: how to make England’s record champions contenders again.
