United ended the 2023/24 campaign in eighth, their lowest-ever Premier League finish.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s priority for the new season has emerged – and it will somewhat ease the pressure on Erik ten Hag as Manchester United aim to improve on their lowest ever Premier League finish.

The 2023/24 campaign was a turbulent one for Ten Hag and his players. After an inconsistent run in the Premier League they finished eighth behind Newcastle, Chelsea, Tottenham and Aston Villa.

United also struggled in Europe, finishing bottom of their Champions League group with four points from a possible 18.

For a number of weeks, it appeared the writing is on the wall for Ten Hag. Reports emerged suggested an FA Cup win over Manchester City would not save the Dutchman from being sacked.

But after they overcome the odds to beat Pep Guardiola’s men, it was decided that United would stick with the Dutchman following talks with a number of candidates, including Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino.

Ten Hag, who has extended his contract until June 2026, will go into the new season with a remit of ‘significantly improving on-field performance and off-field standards’.

That’s according to a report from The Guardian, who suggest Ten Hag is not under pressure to secure a top-four finish this season.

Instead, co-owner Ratcliffe is prioritising ‘considerable progression of the team’ as they continue to overhaul the current playing squad this summer following the additions of Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro.

Of course, Ten Hag and Ratcliffe’s INEOS want to achieve the highest possible finish but there is an understanding that there are no guarantees.

“There’s room for improvement everywhere we look at Manchester United, and we will improve everything,” Ratcliffe explained in June.

“We want to be competing for the Premiership every year and the Champions League every year. That’s where we need to be, where Real Madrid is today, but it’ll take time.”

Image credit: Getty

He added: “I think Real Madrid have done a fabulous job. There’s an interesting statistic. If you look at the 10 seasons since Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill left, Manchester United’s net spend on players is £1.1billion. United have not been mean with the chequebook.

“Real Madrid’s over the same time is £200m, which is surprising when you hear that, because today they have a squad where six or seven players are valued at more than 100m euros and Manchester United don’t have any.

“And Real Madrid have probably built the finest football stadium in the world using the same chequebook.”