Manchester United can't afford to waste the opportunity Jurgen Klopp has given them

When Erik ten Hag strode into Old Trafford for the first time in May 2022 he declared of the success of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp in the Premier League: "Eras can come to an end."

It's fair to say Ten Hag had designs on ending the duopoly himself rather than seeing Klopp bring the curtain down on his own tenure, but Friday's Anfield bombshell undoubtedly represents an opportunity for the Dutchman and a new-look Manchester United regime. Who knows when Guardiola will follow, but having said the Club World Cup represented the closing of a chapter, he is likely to depart in the summer of 2025 at least and it's not out of the question he follows Klopp in going this summer.

Who knows how Manchester City and Liverpool will fare without the managers that have become synonymous with those clubs? City don't have to unduly worry about that just yet, but for Liverpool it is now an unwelcome challenge on the horizon. After nine years, the emotional low of losing Klopp could be difficult to offset.

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For all of Ten Hag's punchy talk in his first press conference and the relative success of last season, it always felt like the club needed to put themselves in a position to capitalise on Klopp or Guardiola leaving, if not both. That was the first challenge for Ten Hag. The concern for United is that they haven't done it, but they are starting to get their house order just in time.

When United finished above a lacklustre Liverpool last season it was hailed by some as proof that Ten Hag had ended their era already, but it was never likely to be sustainable. In Klopp's time at Anfield we have learned to expect