It’s strange to think that, just weeks ago, Manchester United were widely held to be a club in “crisis”, said Henry Winter in The Times. Their Premier League campaign began with two consecutive defeats – the second an abject 4-0 drubbing by Brentford – and the entire squad looked desperately short of confidence. Erik ten Hag, the club’s new manager, admitted that reviving their fortunes promised to be one “hell of a job”.
It’s certainly not one he wasted any time getting stuck into, said Chris Wheeler in the Daily Mail. United’s fortunes have revived dramatically from the “carnage” of a month ago: they now stand fifth in the Premier League, having won four matches in a row. Last Sunday, they beat league leaders Arsenal 3-1 at home, shattering their 100% record. Suddenly, everything the former Ajax boss touches seems to be “turning to gold”.
He has begun his tenure with a flurry of transfers, drawing on United’s “financial muscle” to spend £229m in the transfer window, said Laurie Whitwell on The Athletic. And already, that outlay seems more than justified. United’s previously shaky central defence has been bolstered by the arrival of Lisandro Martínez; Tyrell Malacia has replaced the out-of-form Luke Shaw at left back; Christian Eriksen – signed from Brentford on a free transfer – has added considerable clout to midfield.
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Last Sunday, it was the turn of United’s most expensive signing, the Brazilian winger Antony, who cost £85m, to make his debut, said Barney Ronay in The Guardian. His impact was near-instantaneous. The 22-year-old opened the scoring after 35 minutes with a skilfully angled left-footed shot, then delighted the fans further with an extravagant “four-stage celebration” that culminated in a “kind of growling-lion manoeuvre into the camera”. Watching him play, it’s clear, “will be fun”.
But in the end, this “potentially momentous victory” was all about a player who predates ten Hag’s arrival, said Jason Burt in The Daily Telegraph. As recently as the start of the season, Marcus Rashford seemed a pale shadow of the player who used to inspire terror in defenders. Under ten Hag, that player is re-emerging. In the second half, with the match delicately poised at 1-1, the 24-yearold “took the game by the scruff of the neck” and scored two brilliant goals.
It’s clear that United remain a long way from the finished article, said Jamie Jackson in The Guardian. But in his brief time at Old Trafford, ten Hag has shown himself to be a manager with a “keen football brain” who makes the “right calls on the big decisions”. No wonder that, inside Old Trafford on Sunday, the prevailing mood was reminiscent of “how it felt during the golden years of Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign”.
