It’s always a daunting prospect when a new boss shows up for their first day at work. Suddenly, you have someone fresh to impress and prove your worth to, with it not always clear quite whether they expect the same from you as their predecessor.
It was a feeling that Erik ten Hag will likely have felt as he prepared his Manchester United team to take on Tottenham, knowing that Sir Jim Ratcliffe would be in attendance at Old Trafford for the first time since his 25 percent purchase of the Red Devils was announced by the club. Ratcliffe might be a minority owner at present, but he and his INEOS team are set to run United’s football operations going forward, and so Ten Hag will answer them.
As first impressions go, Ten Hag’s could certainly have gone better. Though United twice took the lead in the first half through goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford, they were twice pegged back by Ange Postecoglou’s depleted Spurs side.
United’s goals were their only two shots on target, and much of the second half was played out in front of an almost silent home crowd, with Ten Hag’s side able to produce little of note to suggest that they could find a winning goal and vault themselves back into the conversation regarding a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
Instead, the point leaves them down in seventh and eight points behind both Arsenal and Spurs, who currently sit fourth and fifth, respectively. Improvements will need to be made fast if Ten Hag is to avoid an awkward conversation with his boss in the coming weeks and months.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Old Trafford…