Erik ten Hag was left disappointed after defeat in the FA Cup final in June, but twice in three sentences he referred to playing a “fantastic season”. One mention was individual, one collective. The praise for David de Gea, after his latest error proved costly in the FA Cup final, may have been well-intentioned but soon proved deceptive. Ten Hag sounded loyal then, but a more telling verdict came when the goalkeeper’s 545th Manchester United appearance became his last when contract talks broke down and he departed.
Ten Hag’s other assessment reflected his own work. “We played a fantastic season and that is more than we could have expected before,” he said. “We were third in the league, we qualified for the Champions League, we won a trophy and we were in another final.”
