Erik ten Hag can repeat Ryan Gravenberch trick at Manchester United

Although Old Trafford has found itself situated under a dark, grey cloud this season, rays of light are beginning to poke through.

Erik ten Hag has been interviewed for the manager's position, Bruno Fernandes has committed his future to the club by signing a new long-term contract and there is a feeling that the much-needed clear out is just a few months away from commencing. Therefore, amongst all the doom and gloom that this season has produced for Manchester United, there are reasons, even if only minimal at this stage, to be feeling upbeat about the coming months.

The appointment of a new manager this summer, despite various other issues needing to be addressed, is the club's top priority - and rightly so. Ajax chief Ten Hag has been interviewed for the job and, despite Paris Saint-Germain chief Mauricio Pochettino continuing to linger in the background, there is a genuine hunch beginning to be felt that the Dutchman will be the man tasked with overseeing the club's next chapter.

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If that overriding hunch is proven to be correct, and Ten Hag does pick up the baton from Ralf Rangnick ahead of next season, optimism is bound to greet the 52-year-old's arrival at Old Trafford. That is because Ten Hag, despite being north of 50, is seen as an up and coming manager with a point to prove at one of European football's elite, after several seasons of success at Ajax.

Now, the chances of Ten Hag picking up the baton from Rangnick and immediately leading United back to the heights of yesteryear are slim. Not impossible, but slim.

The Dutchman, as proven by his time in charge at Ajax, which commenced in December 2017, works best when he has a