Erik ten Hag has claimed Pep Guardiola is the only manager in England to have outperformed him since he took charge of Manchester United.
Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford in May 2022 and the Dutchman has since won 68 of his 114 games in charge.
During that time he has come up against the likes of Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and Mikel Arteta in the dugout.
Ten Hag has had mixed success at United, lifting the Carabao Cup and guiding his side to a third place finish in his first season.
However, the 2023-24 campaign was more difficult, as the Red Devils came eighth, before their campaign was rescued by winning the FA Cup against arch-rivals Man City, securing them a spot in the Europa League.
It was widely reported that Ten Hag was on the verge of the sack ahead of the FA Cup final, before United’s new part-owners, Ineos, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to keep him and subsequently triggered an option to extend his contract by a season.
United also finished 31 points behind City in the Premier League and came bottom of their Champions League group, yet Ten Hag defended his record and highlighted the impact he had made since coming to England.
‘Of course [I feel stronger after winning the FA Cup],’Ten Hag told The Times. ‘This club didn’t win trophies, before I came, for six years.
‘In two years, after Guardiola, we won the most trophies in English football. So we are in a strong position.
‘Look, we can beat every opponent. Not one time, more than one time against City and also against Liverpool.’
Ten Hag’s two trophies have him ahead of Klopp and David Moyes, who have both won one title over the past two years, while Guardiola has lifted four honours.
However, the Dutchman did temper his claims with an admission that United still have a significant amount of improvements to make.
He added: ‘But the truth is that there is a long way to go and we have to be more consistent and we need to create a winning culture.
‘It’s not only a dressing room winning culture, higher standards should be delivered across the whole club.’
United’s difficulties last season were compounded by a negative goal difference in the Premier League, while their eighth place finish was their lowest in the top flight since the 1989-90 campaign.
However, Ten Hag has acted quickly to try to alleviate these struggles, with the Red Devils already bringing in Joshua Zirkzee and Lenny Yoro, while Jadon Sancho has been reintegrated into the first team group.
After a disappointing 1-0 defeat by Rosenborg in their first friendly, United beat Rangers 2-0 on Saturday, with Ten Hag’s side now set to head out to the US where they will face Arsenal, Real Betis and Liverpool.
Reporter: Enock Nii Sacky.
