Manchester United find themselves in a great position of ending their trophy drought this season, specifically in the Carabao Cup. They beat Aston Villa 4-2 in their Round 3 fixture, and will face Burnley in Round 4. 

After the game, Erik Ten Hag referenced some of his principles and rules that have made his time at the club look so promising so far. 

Erik Ten Hag’s principles of winning for Manchester United 

“In defending, rules are not ‘but’ or ‘if’ — I just demanded them to do it. In offensive positions, they are ‘principles’, so there is more freedom.” said the Dutchman after the game.

He even referenced these rules in his preamble in the match programme, “Whoever is selected, they will have to stick to the rules of winning and the plan we set out in advance.”

Erik Ten Hag referenced his rules in their Premier League game against Aston Villa as well, which ended in a defeat: 

“We didn’t follow the rules defending, the players on the pitch have to win the game and if they do their jobs 100 percent, with passion and desire, following the rules and principles of football then we win this game.”

It now remains to be seen whether Ten Hag can help United return to the Champions League this season with a top four finish.