For Erik ten Hag, the new start comes in the fixture that could have been his endgame. He could have bowed out against Manchester City at Wembley. Instead, reports of his demise proved exaggerated. Manchester United confounded expectations. He won the FA Cup and lost the sack race. Ten Hag’s reward was to keep his job, with a one-year extension triggered, and another Manchester derby in London, two months later and after making two summer signings.
There can be a sense of renewal to United, but also one that the past is inescapable. Ten Hag had hoped that injuries would be consigned to last season but Leny Yoro seemed to exhibit the characteristics of a 2023-24 United centre-back by promptly getting injured: the £52m teenager’s debut will be delayed for three months.
With Tyrell Malacia out and a further four doubts, he only has three senior defenders guaranteed to be fit to face the champions: the veteran Jonny Evans and the duo of Diogo Dalot and Lisandro Martinez, who both only returned to training this week. It is possible the Wembley back four includes the 36-year-old Evans and the 17-year-old left-back Harry Amass.
Which, it is safe to say, wasn’t quite what United had in mind for their injection of the new this summer. A first window under the co-ownership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos has brought the arrivals of chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth, defender Yoro and striker Joshua Zirkzee, a new coaching team around Ten Hag in Rene Hake, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Andreas Georgson and Jelle ten Rouwelaar.
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