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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
WIGAN, England — In the debate about the importance of the FA Cup, Erik ten Hag can leave the chat.
Floundering in the Premier League and out of Europe before Christmas, the Manchester United manager needs a trophy to underline to new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he’s the right man to lead a new era at Old Trafford. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp can argue they have bigger priorities, but Ten Hag has no choice but to take the FA Cup seriously.
As he battles to impress Ratcliffe and INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, the Dutchman can only hope the Cup has lost none of its old magic. Any more poor results in a season littered with them and he might need something closer to a miracle.
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United avoided what would have been an embarrassing slip-up against League One Wigan Athletic to win 2-0 on Monday night and set up a fourth-round tie with either Newport County or Eastleigh before the end of January. Guardiola and Klopp will be asked whether they’re tempted to rotate ahead of their fourth-round ties but Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, on duty at the DW Stadium, will be back in action against either League Two Newport or Eastleigh of the National League.
“It’s a massive competition that everyone wants to win,” Ten Hag said after the match. “Every manager is eager to win, we take this seriously.
“We have so many injuries and illnesses but still we put out a strong side. We had a good team, so we were confident before, we must win this game. You never underestimate any opponent, definitely not this side, you know they will fight for their life because it’s the game of their life, we took the game very good.”
Winning the FA Cup in 1990 saved Sir Alex Ferguson’s job. Ten Hag, a finalist last year, could use a similar boost at the end of his second season in charge.
Credit in the bank generated by a relatively successful first campaign has been steadily eroded by a series of calamitous defeats, the latest at Nottingham Forest little more than a week ago, to the point where there are legitimate questions about whether Ratcliffe should bring in his own man. Nothing can happen until the investment is ratified in early February, though, giving Ten Hag time to steady the ship.
At the point at which Ratcliffe and Brailsford — in the stands at Wigan alongside chief executive of INEOS sport Jean-Claude Blanc — begin to make decisions of real impact, Ten Hag could use a blossoming cup run to point to.
United did their job against Wigan and, for only the third time in 29 attempts this season, won a game by more than one goal. Nothing is coming easy at the moment, and if more evidence was needed that United exist in an almost constant state of vulnerability, then Wigan provided it inside three minutes.
The team sitting 18th in League One, two divisions below the Premier League, leapt onto a misplaced pass in midfield before working the ball to Thelo Aasgaard inside the penalty area. Only a good save from André Onana kept out the shot and prevented Wigan from taking a shock lead.
Despite the freezing January night, United took 7,506 fans to Wigan, filling the east stand, and eventually their nerves were calmed when Diogo Dalot‘s curled shot from the edge of the box found the bottom corner.
Rashford, Scott McTominay and Rasmus Højlund all missed good chances to put the tie to bed. Alejandro Garnacho hit the crossbar. It wasn’t until Fernandes scored a penalty with 17 minutes to go that United were confident of their place in the next round. It was only at that point that the travelling supporters felt comfortable enough to sing “We’re the famous Man United and we’re going to Wembley.”
“It’s all about the win,” Ten Hag said. “First half, the way we played, the performance, how we worked the ball, how we made our runs, the investment in the final third, we created a lot of chances and that was pleasing to see. I think we should have scored more but the good thing is we created the chances.”
As the FA Cup fights for its place in the English football calendar, there can be no doubt about its significance for Ten Hag and United this season. The Dutchman prepared for the trip to Wigan by holding his first meetings with Ratcliffe and the INEOS team, but after a miserable campaign so far, there are still questions about whether he will get the chance, long term, to lead the new project.
As he looks to provide the answers between now and the end of the season, winning the FA Cup will become an even bigger priority. His team are over the first hurdle.