avage tells Man Utd they are two transfers away from winning Premier League

Add Harry Kane and Frenkie De Jong to this Manchester United squad and Erik Ten Hag could be presiding over front-runners for the title next year.

The transformation in United’s belief, and the change in mood from embarrassment to imperious in just six months, has been a tribute to the culture Ten Hag has developed at Old Trafford.

It has probably come too late for them to be serious title contenders this season, but after the 4-0 rout at Brentford, the 6-3 humiliation in the derby against City and Cristiano Ronaldo’s farewell strop, the manager has exerted his authority and his team looks miles better for it.

Ten Hag has renewed Sir Alex Ferguson’s rule that nobody is bigger than the club, from laying down the law to one of the greatest players of all time to leaving Marcus Rashford out at Wolves when he overslept.

Instead of sulking, Rashford has repaid his manager by going on a blistering run which has made him one of the most effective strikers in world football.

And watching that performance in the 2-2 draw against Barcelona – the best game I have seen since the World Cup final – I’m more convinced than ever.

If they bring in two key players in the summer, when there may be a generous budget if a takeover has happened at Old Trafford, and United are going to challenge for the Premier League crown next season.

I would try to sign Kane, who would have pace either side of him up front, and go back to Barcelona for De Jong – who Ten Hag tried so hard to buy last summer.

With De Jong and Casemiro’s ball retention in midfield, and Kane doing what Kane does best up top, for me those are the missing pieces of a title-winning side.

Maybe they are not the strongest team Barca have ever put on the pitch, but they are still eight points clear at the top of La Liga in Spain, so that was the bravest, and most expansive, United performance I’ve seen away from home against one of Europe’s big guns.

Look, they might lose the home leg at Old Trafford. They might not win next weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle. They might not win the FA Cup.

But the way United took the game to Barcelona in their own back yard was the most convincing evidence yet that Ten Hag’s principles have taken root.

There are no loose cannons taking liberties, nobody going abroad for treatment. Even if they don’t win a trophy this season, ending six years without silverware, the future looks bright.

The way he handled Jadon Sancho, leaving him out of the firing line to overcome “physical and mental issues” before restoring him against Leeds, was top-class man-management.

Credit is also due to Benni McCarthy’s influence as a coach and director of football John Murtough. It looks like United are finally getting it right behind the scenes.

So make a date with May 2024 – because if that takeover happens, and they add Kane and De Jong as two aces to the pack, after a lean decade the title could be heading back to Manchester United.