Man Utd decision hands Erik ten Hag luxury not seen since Sir Alex Ferguson

Erik ten Hag is facing up to the arguably the biggest challenge facing any Manchester United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.

David Moyes faced the almost impossible task of replacing the Red Devils legend, while Louis van Gaal failed to bring the best out of a dressing room of superstars despite an FA Cup success. Jose Mourinho remains the last United manager to lift silverware, with the wheels quickly coming off the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bandwagon after a Europa League final defeat.

Interim boss Ralf Rangnick was unable to steady the ship, leaving ten Hag with the sizeable task of rebuilding the Red Devils from close to scratch. A return to the Champions League has become the immediate priority, let alone closing the chasm to rivals Liverpool and Manchester City at the summit.

However, Ten Hag already appears to be winning battles and establishing control often denied to his predecessors. United's hierarchy have been much maligned in recent years, with regular fan protests and recent managers going to express their exasperation with problems behind the scenes.

Football's worst-kept secret was confirmed in April with Ten Hag's appointment, and the outgoing Ajax boss has wasted little time in getting to work at Old Trafford. Pep Guardiola's former understudy at Bayern Munich has already confirmed Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag as his assistants, with a substantial squad overhaul expected this summer.

Many had questioned how ten Hag would handle the working dynamic with Rangnick, with the interim boss expected to juggle a consultancy role next season alongside his role as an international manager with Austria. However, Sunday's announcement confirmed a 'mutual agreement' had been struck to allow