In all honesty, I intended to write this article more than a week ago, after Manchester United finished its 2023-24 season with the FA Cup Final.

In another line of thinking, it makes sense that this post would be late, just as three wins to close the season may have come too late to save Erik ten Hag’s job status.

As of June 7, the club have not publicly announced whether the Dutchman would be retained for a third season, as the new group of minority owners – led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe – helps conduct a thorough review of how to make the club successful in all areas. In terms of making a profit as a business, United have succeeded and are in position to succeed for the foreseeable future, but the on-field performances have much to be desired.

Yes, United showed character to finish the Premier League campaign with two wins to avoid their worst point total in EPL history. Yes, the Red Devils put in an excellent performance to beat rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup Final. The question remains, where was that kind of performance for much of the season?

Finishing third in the league in 2022-23, especially after losing their first two matches in disastrous fashion, gave ten Hag some confidence that he might be the man to turn around United’s recent fortunes in the post-Sir Alex era. But if he exceeded expectations in Year 1, Year 2 was unquestionably a disaster, and the fact that United beat City in regulation at Wembley may be his only lifeline at the moment. Remember, Louis van Gaal beat Crystal Palace in extra time in 2016, and that wasn’t enough to keep him around for a third year.

Despite the overall poor season, there were bright spots beyond just preventing the “Double Double” for City. Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo have both excelled in the first team, though it’s fair to question if the academy coaches deserve significant, if not equal, credit for the two players’ development. Rasmus Højlund also showed signs of promise, even if it took him a few months to find his footing in domestic competitions.

But sports is a results-based business, and the first things that will be (and should be) looked at is how United performed. All due respect, a club like Bournemouth would be more than satisfied finishing 8th in the Premier League and a 4th place group finish in the Champions League; just reaching Europe’s top club competition would be a massive win. For United, the standard is, and should remain, significantly higher.

And the questions aren’t just about ten Hag’s job status, but also about which players will leave the club in the transfer window. Some, like Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial, have already confirmed they will depart the club in the summer. Others, like Andre Onana, only recently arrived, but haven’t been able to make desired impacts; in Onana’s case, several high-profile gaffes have left fans wondering if the club could have a redo with the exits of David de Gea and/or Dean Henderson.

May marked 25 years since the extraordinary 10-day stretch when Ferguson led United to the sacred Treble of winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League. Though that string of success would continue regularly for the next 14 years, the most recent 11 have left the club and its fans in constant wonder of when things would return to normal. For that to happen, a decision needs to be made on the manager, and the longer the decision takes, it appears more likely that another patience-testing season awaits.