The saying goes that lightning doesn’t strike twice, but Manchester United fans are convinced otherwise.
That’s because Erik ten Hag, keeping his job at the club after the FA Cup final victory, has striking similarities to the path taken by Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford.
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In 1990, Ferguson, like Ten Hag this year, was rescued from crisis by winning the FA Cup after a poor league season.
However, fans have identified five uncanny similarities that they can believe could signal a new era of success for the Red Devils.
For starters, remember February 28, when Man Utd beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 away from home in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Ferguson, 82, achieved an identical 1-0 result in 1990, away from home, against Forest, albeit in the third round.
Both occasions saw the Red Devils wearing a white kit with a red collar.
Surprisingly, both kits were also manufactured by sportswear giant adidas.
In 1990, it was a Mark Robins header that secured progress to the next round, whilst this time it was a Casemiro header that made the difference.
Man Utd, of course, won the trophy in both seasons, beating Crystal Palace and Manchester City in the respective finals.
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But another impressive detail of the two cup ties is the semi-final which ended 3-3 after extra time.
This year, Ten Hag’s Man Utd threw away a 3-0 lead to Coventry before winning on penalties, ironically with 1990 hero Robins on the bench for the Championship team.
Meanwhile, in 1990, Man Utd drew 3-3 with Oldham after extra time, and only secured passage to the final after winning 2-1 in extra time in the replay.
Then, of course, there are the consequences of the results, plus 1990 is the club’s seventh FA Cup title and 2024 is their 13th.
Ferguson kept his job and became the club’s most successful manager, winning five FA Cups, 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues, among a host of other accolades.
Ten Hag, 54, also kept his job, and fans are convinced he will now do great things at OId Trafford.
Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd record
Here’s a look at Erik ten Hag’s record in charge of Manchester United.
Games: 114
Victories:68
Draws: 15
Losses:31
Goals scored: 207
Objectives granted: 156
Points per game: 1.92
Honors: EFL Cup x1 (2023), FA Cup x1 (2024)
One fan even said that it was “written in the stars” for him to bring more success to the Red Devils.
Ferguson was 48 when he won the FA Cup and continued to coach until he was 71.
Ten Hag is 54 years old, so in theory there is plenty of room for him to be very successful as long as he has the appetite for it.
The Dutchman’s existing deal runs until next June, with the option of a further year, but following the Ineos-led review that kept him in the role, negotiations on a new deal have reportedly opened.
However, Ten Hag will take on a reduced role when it comes to transfers, with Ineos taking full charge of the department this summer.
And a new hardline stance from them has seen Man Utd refuse to bow to Everton over Jarrad Branthwaite’s £70m asking price.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
