Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag looks on prior to the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United on 31 December, 2022 at Molineux in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

Manchester United: Erik ten Hag makes winning trophies his New Year’s resolution

January 3, 2023 Sports 2 Views

Erik ten Hag says that winning trophies with Manchester United (opens in new tab) in 2023 is his New Year’s resolution.

After a bumpy start to his Old Trafford tenure, the Dutchman has firmly steadied the ship to put United on course for a top-four Premier League finish.

And while getting back into the Champions League has to be a priority for United, their manager has his sights set on silverware in the not-too-distant future.

Reflecting on his achievements in 2022 (both with United and at previous club Ajax (opens in new tab), who he guided to the 2021/22 Eredivisie title) in an interview for the club’s official website, Ten Hag said (opens in new tab):

“It’s always about trophies. It’s not about looking too much to yourself; it’s about looking to your family and looking to trophies. That’s what I did and always will do – so looking back, I’m happy with my family; we are satisfied and settled in Manchester, so I’m happy with that. But when I look at sporting [highlights] then it’s definitely trophies, and that is also what we aim for in 2023.”

Asked whether he was in the habit of making New Year’s resolutions, in a professional or personal sense, Ten Hag added: “Yeah, professionally, it’s what I just mentioned: it’s about trophies.”

However, he emphasised that there is still plenty of work to be done in the meantime, continuing: “We are not, at this moment in the season, thinking too much about that; for now, it’s about getting into a position where you can win trophies.”

While a charge to the Premier League title would be quite astonishing given they currently trail leaders Arsenal by 11 points, United are still in the Europa League and Carabao Cup – and get their FA Cup campaign underway at home to Everton (opens in new tab) on Friday.

Before that, Ten Hag’s side – who have won eight of their last nine games in all competitions – host Bournemouth (opens in new tab) in the league tonight in their first match of 2023.