After years of flattering to deceive and, ultimately, disappointing supporters, Manchester United finally appeared to turn a corner following the appointment of Ten Hag and are now looking to continue their upward trajectory.
The 2022/23 season featured murmurs of a title race for the Red Devils and although they never really came to fruition, they did come away with their first piece of silverware in six years.
Their 2-0 win in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle was a great occasion for fans, but now they need to push on and start seriously fighting for the Premier League again.
The Red Devils have improved over the summer despite ending last season with a number of glaring issues in the side and are now looking to the campaign ahead.
Addressing their issues
The David de Gea situation was the number one priority for United to sort out over the summer - and they couldn't have done much better than getting in Andre Onana from Inter Milan.
Onana excels with the ball at his feet and will completely transform the style of play at Old Trafford, something they simply couldn't do with De Gea between the sticks.
On top of that, the years of Fred and McTominay partnering together in midfield are finally over, following the addition of Mason Mount from Chelsea.
The Englishman enables his team to quickly put their attacks together and get up the pitch quicker either, through quick link-up play with his forward teammates or by driving up the pitch himself.
Mount also adds a much needed goal threat which takes some of the burden away from Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes.
Finally, the Red Devils addressed their striker issue by bringing in Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta - a very promising, young talent.
While the Dane might need some time to get up to speed, his arrival can only be beneficial, giving United a proper focal point up front while also allowing Rashford to stay in his favoured position on the left wing.
Further signings are expected before the window shuts, such as Sofyan Amrabat in midfield and extra defensive cover - the likes of Jean-Clair Todibo and Benjamin Pavard are the latest names to be mentioned.
Add those to their squad and they should be looked at as strong contenders for the league title, albeit far from favourites.
Who stands in the way?
Both Manchester City - hunting for a record fourth-straight title - and Arsenal are the main challengers for the Premier League and have both strengthened impressively alongside United.
After cutting out the mistakes of De Gea and attempting to add more goals at the top end of the pitch, the Red Devils are in as good a position as they could be to seriously push the two sides that finished above them last season.
The key for Ten Hag will be to ensure his players can improve their form against those two - and the rest of the big six (seven including Newcastle) - away from home.
In six away games against the 'big seven', United failed to win even once and suffered some embarrassing defeats.
City hit six at the Etihad, Liverpool humiliated them 7-0 at Anfield and Arsenal bagged three goals at the Emirates.
There was also a 2-0 loss to Newcastle, as well as draws against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
This is an area in which United have to drastically improve, and the impact on their league position would be huge if they were to do so.
That being said, their form at Old Trafford was excellent - winning against all of the other 'traditional big six' and drawing 0-0 with Newcastle.
Aims for 2023/24
Fans will be expecting progress - as they should - and it's up to Ten Hag and his staff to deliver.
While the title isn't expected, they should at least mount a serious challenge and keep their performances consistent over the campaign, giving those above them a genuine reason to be worried.
Trophies elsewhere should also be prioritised and would go a long way to restoring United to their former glory, while it would also be good to see more young talents, such as Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo and Alvaro Fernandez, get meaningful minutes across the season.
