Erik ten Hag admits Sir Alex Ferguson's legacy makes it 'very difficult' at Man Utd
- Erik ten Hag is Man Utd's fifth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson
- Dutchman won League Cup in his first season at Old Trafford
- A legacy of success and Fergie's standards make it 'very difficult'
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has admitted that the years of success of legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson has made it "very difficult" but is still motivated for the challenge.
United appointed Ferguson in November 1986 at their lowest ebb, four points off the foot of the table with only three wins from their first 13 league games.
After limping to an 11th place finish in that first season, Ferguson oversaw a runners-up spot in 1987/88. But things then threatened to go the way of his predecessors, many of whom had achieved partial or minor success before eventually losing their job, with 11th and 13th place finishes in 1988/89 and 1989/90 respectively. Winning the FA Cup in the latter gave hope, however, and ultimately proved to be a catalyst, while things were being revolutionised behind the scenes.
Ferguson delivered the inaugural Premier League title in 1993, the club's first top flight league win in 26 years. That proved to be the first of 13 league championships, with four more FA Cups, several League Cups, two Champions Leagues and various other European and world trophies.
In the ten years since his retirement, United have only domestically collected one FA Cup – in 2016 – and two League Cups, one of which Ten Hag was responsible for in his first year in charge. At no point have they been close to winning the Premier League for a record-extending 14th time, with alarmingly poor results and performances lead to growing speculation about Ten Hag’s position.
Speaking at a Football Writers' Association awards dinner on Sunday evening, the Dutchman conceded that Ferguson’s legacy, which has set the standard at Old Trafford, weighs heavy.
"In football it's all about winning trophies, it is very difficult after what Sir Alex did with Manchester United to do well with Manchester United," Ten Hag explained.
"That is a challenge I would not get out of the way. I wanted to do the job and last year was fantastic, difficult start, but finally it became a great season. We are still really pleased with it, but it's not enough with Manchester United as we have high targets and we have to go and get there."
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