by
Manchester United are the only top-flight club in England still left in as many as four competitions.
Some crowns may be more attainable than others. 90 minutes stand between the Red Devils and the Carabao Cup compared to four more months of Premier League football. But Erik ten Hag’s side dips their toe into all four competitions across the next six matches as the season builds towards a crescendo.
Here is what lies in store for Manchester United in the coming weeks.
The Camp Nou was the scene for the greatest night in Manchester United’s history. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s last-gasp winner to snatch the 1999 Champions League final – and thereby complete an unprecedented treble in English football – was so iconic it ushered him into the managerial hot seat two decades later.
United return to the crumbling cathedral on Thursday 16 February, 17:45 (GMT) in dramatically contrasting circumstances. Rather than the culmination of a history-defining achievement, Manchester United travel to Barcelona for the first leg of a Europa League play-off to battle it out for a spot in the last 16 of the continent’s second-tier club competition.
When Ten Hag led Manchester United to King Power Stadium in September, Leicester were in free fall. Jadon Sancho consigned the Foxes to a fourth consecutive league defeat with the only goal of the game, leaving Brendan Rodgers’ thrifty side at the foot of the table.
Leicester have collected 23 of the 24 points in the intervening six months, untangling themselves from the relegation mire and bounding into Sunday’s contest buoyed by January arrivals, James Maddison’s recuperation and eight goals in two games.
“The draw has given us the most difficult opponent once again,” Xavi lamented when Barcelona learned their fate in November. After finishing third in a Champions League group which contained Bayern Munich and Inter, Xavi’s side had their ball drawn alongside Manchester United after dropping into the Europa League.
United can hardly be happy about the prospect of facing La Liga’s leaders but they at least have home advantage for the decisive second leg.
Ron Atkinson was manager the last time Manchester United endured a trophy drought as long as the current wait for silverware. Big Ron cracked open one of his many bottles of champagne after the 1983 FA Cup triumph over Brighton ended a six-year drought.
Ten Hag has the bubbly on ice as Manchester United‘s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United on Sunday 26 February at 16:30 (GMT) gives the Red Devils their first shot at silverware since the 2017 Europa League triumph under Jose Mourinho.
As United pivot from one cup competition to another, David Moyes returns to the unhappy hunting ground of Old Trafford. Either side of drinking from the poisoned chalice that was the role of Sir Alex Ferguson’s immediate successor, Moyes has won just two of 19 visits to the Theatre of Dreams, losing 13.
Ten Hag maintained Moyes’ grim tradition with a 1-0 Premier League victory at home to West Ham in October.
The visit of Liverpool to Old Trafford in August served as a watershed moment in United’s season. After consecutive defeats to begin the campaign against Brighton and Brentford, Ten Hag was treated to his first victory at the club in his debut derby.
However, United haven’t beaten Liverpool at Anfield since 2016. To put into perspective quite how long ago that was; Louis van Gaal watched on from the dugout as Wayne Rooney scored the only goal of the game.
