Manchester United are set to meet their city rivals Manchester City in the final of the FA Cup at Wembley. While the Red Devils come into the game with hopes of clinching the FA Cup to make it to the Europa League next season, City will be playing just to add to their trophy cabinet on Saturday. Both these sides faced off in the FA Cup Final last year as well and on that occasion, it was Pep Guardiola’s men who came out victorious.
After a disappointing end to the 2023-24 season, Erik Ten Hag now faces one of the biggest tests in his stint at United. The Dutch coach has not been able to translate his exploits from the first campaign into his second and that has led to Manchester United’s struggles. After finishing 8th in the league, their only hope for salvaging something out of the season is a win in the final as that will help them qualify for the Europa League. It will also give Ten Hag some breathing space as he has been under immense pressure throughout the season.
However, their opponents are a City side that is high on confidence after having won their fourth straight Premier League title. Needing a win in the final game, City scored three past West Ham United to win the trophy in front of their home fans at the Etihad. They will now look to wrap up the season with a win in the FA Cup final against the Red Devils.
FA Cup Final could be the last game where Erik Ten Hag manages Manchester United
Erik Ten Hag has been under the microscope ever since he took over the Manchester United job. He had a decent first season, where he helped them finish 3rd in the PL table and clinch the Carabao Cup. They were expected to get better from there, but that has not happened. Ten Hag’s second year in charge has been nothing short of a disaster. The team have failed to showcase consistency, leading them to finish 8th in the PL and getting knocked out of both the UCL and the Carabao Cup.
The poor run of results have led to reports about Manchester United looking for potential names that could replace Ten Hag at the club. Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna has been a big favourite for many PL teams to be their manager. According to a few reports, United officials have met with McKenna, who was a former assistant coach with the Red Devils under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, this doesn’t mean that United have decided to part ways with Ten Hag.
A win in the FA Cup final could turn a lot of things around for Ten Hag. He could regain the faith of the management and also a lot of fans. One thing to remember is that he has had an injury-riddled squad, which has forced him to make a lot of changes in the lineup every game. Kieran McKenna has done a good job with Ipswich, but bringing him in to replace Ten Hag certainly doesn’t guarantee success for the club.
