Ten Hag’s first task is to sort out United’s biggest mistake: bringing Ronaldo back

A fresh start will be difficult if the forward lingers, with his lack of movement causing problems on and off the pitch

File photo dated 31-07-2022 of Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo. Erik ten Hag was coy about Cristiano Ronaldo’s availability for Manchester United’s season opener but reiterated that the wantaway star is part of his plans for the new season. Issue date: Friday August 5, 2022. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Man Utd. Photo credit should read Dave Thompson/PA Wire.

It wouldn’t quite be true to say that everything was rosy at Manchester United a year ago, but they had finished second in the Premier League the previous season and had added Jadon Sancho and Raphäel Varane to the squad. The doubts around Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s management meant a serious title challenge still seemed unlikely but nobody really expected them to fall to sixth, with 16 points fewer than they had gathered the previous season.

The campaign began well enough, with a 5-1 demolition of Leeds and then four points from admittedly less-than-inspiring performances in away games at Southampton and Wolves. This seemed the familiar pattern: Solskjær’s United excelled against teams who came at them and left space for the pace of their forward line to exploit, but found it harder against teams who sat deep.