Ten Hag: It's about restoring United to the top

The manager has great respect for the Premier League champions but has already put one over the Blues during his maiden campaign, when United won 2-1 at Old Trafford in January, with goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.

As the Reds head into the Emirates FA Cup final in great heart, winning our final four matches to seal third spot in the table, Ten Hag is under no illusions about the task in hand but has confidence in his team's ability to upset our local rivals. 

"We want to win," he said at his press conference. "We want to win a cup. And it's not about stopping them. It is about that we win, that we win a cup. We have a great opportunity.

"So that's great that we deserved that opportunity to be in the cup final and then meet Man City, that it's a great opportunity, and we fought so hard for it. I think we progressed that well that we are in that FA Cup final."

It would enable the Reds to head into the summer in celebratory mood but the manager accepts the close season will be a key one, regardless, as he looks to ensure we continue on an upward trajectory and challenge for honours again in 2023/24.

"We look to ourselves and you have to see where you are as a club," he admitted. "And from there on, you have to make progress. And I think we did over the last season.

"We make very good progress. We are in a good direction and I know we use the coming period as well now, we get the opportunity in the summer to make new targets, new goals on the short term.

"But the longer term, yeah, that will stay the same. As I said last year, we want to restore Man United. But yeah, we have a way to go."