How has United's season gone so far?

The first part of the season saw the Reds recover from a disappointing start – those defeats against Brighton and Brentford – and put together a consistent run of positive results and, more importantly, impressive performances.

There's now less than a week until United's return to competitive action – the Carabao Cup fixture against Burnley (Wednesday 21 December) – so this is really the last opportunity for us to reflect on what has been a transformative opening few months under Erik.

In the December 2022 edition of our club magazine, Inside United, our writers (who are also fans, of course) gave their thoughts on the season so far and predicted the direction the Reds may head in once the campaign resumes.

As this extract highlights, 2023 is set to be an exciting time to be a United fan...

PLATFORM TO ATTACK - Sam Carney

Erik’s building something here at Manchester United, isn’t he? Bar a bad opening two weeks in August, the general theme under the Dutchman has been progress, from seeing our forwards click out in Thailand and Australia to the recent run of home clean sheets celebrated with such passion by Messrs Dalot, Martinez and De Gea.

It feels like the odd hiccups we’ve had since that defeat to Brentford have immediately been answered – the thrashing by City resulted in the defence tightening up, while a drab scoreless home draw with Newcastle was followed by the rip-roaring suffocation of a seemingly solid Spurs side.

While the summer signings have immediately made an impact, I think what I’ve been most impressed by so far is Erik’s ability to handle the media. His English and communication skills were questioned by some prior to his arrival in the country, but he always appears so calm and in charge when faced with the camera. That’s clearly rubbing off on a revitalised team of players, who – having faced the majority of the Premier League’s top-half teams already – now stand on a sturdy platform from which to attack 2023.

TEN HAG IS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE - Joe Ganley

I’ll be straight: I wasn’t expecting much from 2022/23. Last season was a grim examination of all within the United faith, and the opening two games rewarded my shameful pessimism. But, three months on, I could barely be happier with Erik ten Hag. Given the nature of the defeats to Brentford and City, that’s pretty remarkable.

So, if I wasn’t expecting much, was I hoping for anything? Just some signs, really. Every Red knows it will take time for us to properly challenge for the two trophies most relevant to our club’s identity. I just wanted a glimpse of how far Ten Hag’s personality and style might take us. Against Liverpool and Arsenal we saw the big-game intelligence; the clear emphasis on fighting for the badge. And then, against Spurs, we saw arguably the most dominant, 90-minute performance against a top side since the Ferguson era. Three direct rivals, beaten comprehensively. The Spurs match was completely convincing.

I’ve no idea how long it will take us to reproduce that level every week, but it underlined that Ten Hag’s vision is an attractive one; that he deserves the time required. If anything, he’s already ahead of schedule. Considering the scrutiny every United manager gets, and some of the things he’s already had to deal with, that’s mightily impressive.

FITTER, TOUGHER, AND HUGELY LIKEABLE - Steve Bartram

Perhaps I’m going overboard and setting myself up for a fall here, but I’m loving life under Erik ten Hag and can only see this upward trend continuing. After August’s false start – and the ensuing media pile-on which now looks comically premature – the boss kept calm and soon began coaxing more and more from his players.

He suffers nothing below excellence and that no-nonsense approach is, for me, a source of complete reassurance. The result has been plain to see: an upsurge in performance, effort and attitude across the board.

Probably the biggest positive for me has been the return of unity between players, staff and supporters. All parties are driving one another on, trusting in and rooting for each other, while a word should go to the recruitment team, whose summer signings have conspired to bring not only their own qualities but also prompt improvement throughout the squad they joined.

There’s also been an enjoyable rise in the devilment around our play, which – for me – is overdue. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to enjoy so many players who are able to mix up their approach and turn to the dark arts when required. This team is fitter, tougher, better in and out of possession, harder to beat and hugely, hugely likeable. Whisper it, but I think United might be back.

EVERY REASON FOR OPTIMISM - Adam Marshall

One of the things I love about the boss is the way, from day one, he has acknowledged he needs, and wants, to win every single match. No excuses, no asking for the time that all reasonable fans would allow for, simply setting the bar high and striving to constantly improve and evolve.

The desire to engender a winning mentality and ability to implement his methods after such a problematic start deserves all the credit in the world. It is generally acknowledged it was not an easy job he took on, but I defy anybody to downplay the work that has been undertaken over such a short space of time at Carrington.

I am sure I am not alone in seeing a system and a way of playing that is the first step towards taking United back to the top. How long that will take is open to debate, but the groundwork is being done to make the team extremely competitive again.

Furthermore, Erik’s signings have been nothing short of excellent. The rebuild is well under way and there is every reason for optimism in 2023 and beyond.

AGGRESSIVE AND ON THE FRONT FOOT - Sam Ludbrook

United have displayed promising signs of what Erik ten Hag is trying to integrate in terms of style of play. This becomes even more impressive when you consider the reduced amount of time Ten Hag has been afforded on the training pitch due to the congested fixture schedule ahead of the winter World Cup.

My interpretation of how Ten Hag wants his side to play is aggressive and on the front foot, with a greater control of the ball to dictate the tempo of the match, while maintaining a strong press from front to back, which has been most evident in our 2-0 victory over Tottenham – arguably our performance of the season so far.

The manager’s summer signings have matched this philosophy, but one in particular has caught my eye: Lisandro Martinez. The Argentinian has been a revelation at centre-back, quickly becoming a fan favourite with his aggression and toughness. It’s also worth highlighting how Martinez has adapted to different partners at the back, following stints with Varane, Lindelof and Maguire. Martinez’s passing ability has been another feature of his game, combining with David De Gea to play out from the back and spraying passes into midfield, which the likes of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes are thriving off.

To read the full feature and get access to plenty more brilliant United content, buy the December 2022 edition of Inside United here. You can also subscribe to the magazine for future editions too!