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On the Ball
Will FA Cup save embattled Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag?
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Erik ten Hag is under pressure to deliver the FA Cup trophy as Manchester United face rivals City in the final on May 25.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Eight years ago, Louis van Gaal was the Dutch manager who took Manchester United into an FA Cup final against Crystal Palace, saw his team win and found himself fielding questions about how Jose Mourinho would imminently replace him. “The foundations are in place,” protested van Gaal, but United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League had cost him his job.
That Erik ten Hag’s 2024 team have not qualified for European football via the English Premier League and face Manchester City, four-time consecutive champions, appears to damn van Gaal’s fellow Dutchman to a similar fate. Though, this time around, there is no Mourinho figure, actively lobbying for the job. And even if there are a number of contenders available, nobody appears a slam-dunk contender.
