Manchester United and Erik ten Hag are in confident mood heading into the summer.
The Reds look set to secure Champions League football for next season via a top-four finish in the Premier League while they could yet add the FA Cup to the Carabao Cup they already have in the Old Trafford trophy cabinet. It will be qualified as a successful first year for the Dutchman who has helped instil an identity and a coherent plan to a club that for the past few seasons had been devoid of both.
Transfer windows gone by are proof enough of that. Expensive flops, failed pursuits and a seeming willingness to sign on name alone resulted in woeful window after woeful window. Ten Hag has already shown he has autonomy on recruitment, evidenced by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and the winter loan arrival of Wout Weghorst - a Ten Hag signing and a Ten Hag decision.
