Erik ten Hag says he knew regression at Manchester United was possible in his second season after a positive first campaign at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils ended a six-year wait for a trophy in 2022/23 as they claimed the Carabao Cup and finished third in the Premier League after a dicy start.
However, Man Utd currently sit in ninth position ahead of Sunday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur, who are eight points ahead in fifth, and are out of Europe after finishing last in their Champions League group before Christmas.
Ten Hag said: “I knew this could happen. You need time to get the progress in, so for me it’s not difficult. I see it very rational.
“We didn’t get the points in the season and from there on you get some negativity and some injuries and you get a pattern where a lot is going against you. You have to deal with some setbacks but that belongs to the process.
“It’s not difficult for me because I could expect from the start of this season, when this happened, a process can go negative and as a manager you have to stay positive.”
United have struggled with injuries throughout the 2023/24 term so far, with stars like Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire all absent at points. However, the fitness crisis is improving, with Ten Hag hopeful of welcoming back a number of players for Sunday’s Old Trafford encounter with Spurs.
“We’ve had to be pragmatic, get as many points as possible and wait until the players are fit,” the Dutchman added.
“In the meantime, we’ve worked on individuals to go to a higher level and set conditions for the team to perform better so results will rise again.”
There is still hope for a second trophy of Ten Hag’s reign this season, with United securing their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday night with a 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic. They will face either Newport County or Eastleigh – depending on the result of their replay – later this month.