When assessing every metric of Erik Ten Hag’s first year at Old Trafford, the results and achievements are quickly put to one side because other overriding considerations matter more.
That is not to say that Manchester United didn’t enjoy a significant upturn in fortunes on the pitch in 2022/23, out-performing their Premier League odds by finishing third - a respectable return in the post-Ferguson era - and winning their first trophy for six years.
Indeed, had Manchester City been vanquished in the FA Cup final it would have unquestionably been viewed as a successful campaign without any caveats, and perhaps in hindsight it’s a blessing that is not the case given the level of hype that would be placed on United right now.
Instead it was an encouraging start to a possibly exciting new era and that will do just fine for the Dutchman’s opening 12 months at the helm.
The Reds’ League Cup triumph however, along with accruing 75 league points, their second highest tally for a decade, was of a secondary importance to the work being done to the framework of the club itself.
Here there really were causes to be upbeat without any exception.
That’s because last summer’s transfer activity notably veered from a recent habit of targeting marquee signings who arguably benefited United, the brand, more than United, the team, and instead the best players available were sought for positions most in need of upgrade.
When put like that, it amounts simply as common sense, but if we’re being brutally honest, common sense had previously been in scant supply at Old Trafford, a shortcoming that had for some time impacted mostly on their recruitment and consistently so.
So it was that Lisandro Martinez was brought in to bolster a defence in dire need of bolstering, while Casemiro was purchased at great expense, his fee all-but-irrelevant due to the Brazilian instantly solving a long-term problem in midfield.
The free signing of Christian Eriksen was an uncharacteristically shrewd move, the pass-master Danish by birth but Dutch by design, and though the jury remains out on Antony - especially when factoring in his colossal fee - Old Trafford demands players who get bums off seats and Jadon Sancho wasn’t cutting it in that regard.
Antony may yet prove to be the difference-maker needed down their right flank.
If their incomings was widely approved of by their fan-base, and reluctantly acknowledged to be smart by rival supporters and the media, the sheer number of under-performing players they managed to get off the wage-bill only added to the narrative that United were heading in an entirely new direction under Ten Hag.
In total, 15 players with first-team experience were jettisoned, among them individuals with persistent injury issues and persistent poor showings, along with individuals who were suspected of being bad eggs.
It was therefore an over-haul, seismic and significant, and it afforded the Dutchman the best possible opportunity to implement dramatic changes to the team, both in terms of playing style and personnel.
Which he did, or at least after some initial road-bumps he did, and all told it must be said that Manchester United looked to be an altogether different - and improved - proposition last term.
They were structured, coherent. They were comfortable in playing out from the back, navigating an opposition press before exploiting the space left behind. Going forward, they created overloads and benefited hugely from a season-long spike from Marcus Rashford.
Out of possession, at times they were reminiscent of Jurgen Klopp’s famed gegenpress, but they could also mix it up, staying compact in the right moments.
There was now intelligence on the park, class and genuine quality on the park, and after some moribund years enduring Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s attempts to replicate United’s golden era - only crucially without the players they boasted in the Nineties - most importantly of all, what the Reds now possessed was a man with a plan.
It’s a blueprint for success that gained greater detail this summer in the form of Andre Onana offering improved footwork in nets, Mason Mount purchased off a rival, and Rasmus Hojlund having the potential to finish off previously wasted chances, and subsequently United’s price in the Premier League odds outright market shortened as we all anticipated further progress. More of the same, only better.
Except here is where the other foot falls and here is the reality check.
Because though we’ll still at a very early juncture of the new season, all we have seen so far is regression and toil. At the back, the Reds look vulnerable and prone to mishap. Their remodelled midfield is failing to gel.
Worse yet, Antony, Garnacho, and Sancho have all collectively unimpressed, ineffective at home to Wolves and anonymous away at Spurs - much to the dismay of football prediction experts.
When United overcame a two-goal deficit last weekend, Ten Hag spoke positively about the character within the squad and word-for-word it could have been Solskjaer at the mic, talking up his players’ mental strength to overcome adversities of their own making.
Admittedly, and to repeat, these are early days indeed, far too early to even contemplate whispering crisis.
Yet still, what we’ve witnessed this August brings it home to us just how much leeway was afforded Erik Ten Hag in his first campaign, generous analysis that was mainly based on the ineptitude that preceded his arrival.
It brings it home too that whether the Dutch coach is ultimately successful at Old Trafford or not, so much of that depends on what is produced this season, a defining one for both him and the club.
Because we all know what can happen to even the best laid plans.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
