Erik ten Hag faces five-game reckoning in bid to prove Manchester United progress

Manchester United fans might have forgotten what it's like to go to a home game. After all, it's been five weeks since the turnstiles at Old Trafford were last in operation.

Thursday night sees the team finally return home with a game against Omonia Nicosia in the Europa League - and with a point to prove.

United might have won three of their four games since a 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad on September 8, yet that defeat to the La Liga outfit will still rankle with the players and boss Erik ten Hag.

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The Dutchman demands high standards and if he was distressed at losing to Brighton in the first game of his Old Trafford reign, the Sociedad setback further damaged his desire to make Old Trafford a fortress.

The quirk of the fixture list means there are ample opportunities before October is out to make sure that impressive wins over Arsenal and Liverpool on home soil become the norm. Following the visit of the Cypriot side on Thursday, United host Newcastle and Tottenham in the space of four days before another European date with Sheriff Tiraspol a little over a week later.

They round off the month with another home game when West Ham arrive on October 30. The only away game sandwiched amongst the glut of home games is a testing trip to Chelsea on October 22.

Ten Hag will be eager to strengthen the team's record at Old Trafford. It is no secret how poor they have been on their own patch in recent times; they lost seven times at home across all competitions in 2021/22 and eight the season before that. In 2019/20 they suffered just three losses at Old Trafford.

The next few weeks will give us a clear indication of whether home truly is