Erik ten Hag might need to drop Manchester United's Player of the Season

You can usually tell when Manchester United are having a bad season simply by whoever ends up winning the club's official Player of the Season award. David de Gea is the current record-holder with four Matt Busby awards to his name. In half of those seasons, United ended up sacking their manager after a disappointing campaign.

The other two were trophyless, though top-four football was at least achieved. It would take some effort to even achieve that before the end of the season. Champions League exit at the hands of Atletico Madrid last week condemned United to another year without any silverware, while important wins for Arsenal and Tottenham last weekend highlighted just how difficult it will be to secure a top-four finish in the final league matches of the season.

De Gea has once again been the shining star for United throughout the campaign and is a leading contender for the accolade at the end of the season. That would make five wins, three of which occurred when the first-team manager was sacked.

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The Spaniard's revival has been well-documented after the battle he faced with Dean Henderson last season, but with a change of manager this summer comes the chance for another clean slate, and in-turn, the return of the divisive selection debate.

Erik ten Hag remains the prime choice for United in their hunt for a new manager, and his arrival at Old Trafford could lead to a tactical change with an emphasis on playing out from the back and starting moves from their goalkeeper.

As a result, the Dutchman might well value distributional qualities over shot-stopping, something which could give Dean Henderson his final lifeline at the