Reading manager Paul Ince has hailed the job Erik ten Hag has overseen so far at Manchester United ahead of Saturday night's FA Cup fourth-round clash between the two clubs at Old Trafford.
United, who put one foot in the Carabao Cup final with a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in the first leg of their semi-final showdown at the City Ground on Wednesday evening, will be looking to avoid a cup upset and progress to the fifth round for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. The Reds defeated Everton 3-1 in the last round, comfortably booking a date with the Royals.
United have been in blistering form at Old Trafford in recent months, so much so that their form on their own patch has been the bedrock of the progress they have made so far this season. They have lost just twice on home soil in all competitions this term, last losing in M16 back in September.
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Ten Hag has made significant improvements across the board, not least in relation to the Reds' home form, and will fancy United's chances of going deep into the FA Cup this season. Though Ince will have ambitions of trying to stop that from happening, he has been impressed with the way his former club has been resurrected by Ten Hag this season.
"It looks to me that he's raised the standards of the club," said Ince. "He's doing it his way, which is so important.
"It helps when you're winning games, and when you've got a lot of money to spend. He's brought in the right players.
"We've talked for so many years about Man United's recruitment. I feel likes he's getting there. They're starting to gel.
"When you go back to Sir Alex and the years he was at Man United, it's so important to have that stability. You can't keep chopping and changing managers. They've done that too often in the last four or five years. Hopefully, he's here for a long time."
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