Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United prediction has come true in an unexpected way

Erik ten Hag was adamant that he’d need a weighty squad ahead of the season last summer. Few expected Manchester United to do as well as they have done this season with the rebuild project ahead of schedule.

Ten Hag clearly envisioned this though, telling reports in August: "We are not [just] a team, we have to act as a squad so we need everyone. We have a lot of games to cover and in games the subs have to be ready at any moment."

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And ahead of the January transfer window, he insisted: "You need players, you need numbers to cover. So, we need good players. Not only numbers, you need quality players to cover that and also that you need competition."

These came during times when onlookers were calling for players to be chopped from the squad. In the summer, the likes of Fred and Scott McTominay were being pointed to as potential departures while many reckoned Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri should facilitate January loan moves elsewhere.

But Ten Hag’s message was straight - we need them. He knew the gruelling schedule ahead if United were to be successful and he chose to think ambitiously.

After already lifting the League Cup, United could play a total of 65 matches this season if they also go the distance in the FA Cup and Europa League. They have played 49 so far meaning a total of 16 matches would need to be crammed into the next seven weeks.

Ten Hag said the groin issue that forced Marcus Rashford off in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Everton was caused by the schedule, saying their lunchtime kick off - their third match in six days - was “not right”.

The World Cup break has had a massive impact on the season but so has United’s success in cup