As Manchester United players and staff gathered at Old Trafford for their end of season awards evening on Monday, there was a positive atmosphere around the decked-out function room. These occasions have tended to be sombre affairs in recent years, but not this time.
For one, the awards evening came before the completion of United’s season which signals that their campaign is far from done. Indeed, a victory in Saturday’s FA Cup final against Manchester City would shift this season into territory unseen at the club for some time — at least since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
Having already secured the League Cup back in February, Erik ten Hag can add a second piece of silverware should his team upset the odds and triumph against Pep Guardiola’s high-flying side at Wembley. A domestic double alongside a third-place finish would only underline the progress that Ten Hag has overseen during his first season at Old Trafford.
This weekend’s intriguing final throws up a plethora of plot lines. But Ten Hag made it clear that United claiming a 13th FA Cup is the achievement that his team are focusing on — not their chance to deny City a feted Treble, although that would surely be deemed an added bonus.
The dynamic between the two Manchester clubs, for so long well-established and firmly set, has evolved since the Abu Dhabi takeover at City. It is 12 years since City beat United in an FA Cup semi-final at the national stadium and that was, arguably, the first glimpse of the power shift to come.
Before then, United had consistently held the upper hand in terms of success — and by quite some margin. But then one year later and City would snatch their first Premier League title in dramatic fashion, edging United out on the final day of the season and triumphing on goal difference.
United would reclaim the crown the following year but the club’s 20th league title also marked the end of Ferguson’s reign, with his retirement opening the door for a new era of dominance by a club he had once derided as the “noisy neighbours”.
Champions and challengers have swapped places
As the two sides prepare to meet for the first-ever Manchester derby in an FA Cup final, it is notable how the tables have turned and United are now in the role that City had in 2011; desperately trying to usurp an all-conquering powerhouse that was on its way to a fourth league title in five seasons and third Champions League final in four years.
City are attempting to make this an era-defining couple of weeks by adding the FA Cup to their fourth league title in five seasons and then finally secure a first Champions League for the club. It would be the only time an English club has claimed a Treble after Ferguson’s United achieved the feat in 1999. It would be a defining moment in Guardiola’s career too.
Of course, United — as well as Inter Milan — are the only two teams who can now stop Guardiola’s men from achieving such a notable accomplishment. Those United supporters at Wembley on Saturday will long for their home team to win so as to prevent City from matching their so-far monopolistic stunt.
“Ensuring United remain the only English club to do The Treble, that’s the most important thing,” said Marcus Rashford, who became the first academy graduate to claim United’s Player of the Season award at the ceremony, when asked about the driving motivation ahead of the weekend.
United are now the underdogs in this rivalry. City have won six Premier Leagues since United last claimed one and have added a further seven major domestic honours in the past decade while United have managed three. Even when the gap between the two has appeared larger, City have never looked as complete as they do now.
Guardiola’s City remain miles ahead of United but the body of work showcased during this season suggests that Ten Hag — with more astute recruitment and the fostering of even greater togetherness brought about through winning — is capable of making up the lost ground.
This has been a promising first campaign for the Dutchman; quite neatly summed up by their penchant for good play (January’s 2-1 win over City) on the whole outweighing their occasional ability to self-destruct (losing 6-3 to City in October).
Rashford has scored 30 goals in 55 appearances this term, an impressive defensive partnership has been forged between Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez. Bruno Fernandes is back near the top of his game — as are full backs Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka — and Casemiro has brought a resilience to the side.
Winning the 190th Manchester derby would see United finish the season with a flourish. Preserving their status as the sole Treble winners in England would also cement Ten Hag’s popularity among United fans. There’s work to do but the smiles at Old Trafford on Monday evening were not for show.