Man Utd, Newcastle hope to end trophy drought in tonight’s final

Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United will aim to end their six-year trophy drought when Erik ten Hag's resurgent side face Newcastle in Sunday's League Cup final, while the Magpies' Saudi-funded revolution could produce the club's first major prize since 1969.

As underachieving members of English football's aristocracy in recent years, United hope the showpiece at Wembley can serve as a long-awaited rebirth. However, revelling in their role as nouveau riche irritants to the Premier League's established powers, Newcastle believe the final can serve as concrete proof they are now a force to be reckoned with.

United haven't won a major trophy since the 2017 Europa League, a prize they claimed just weeks after beating Southampton in their most recent League Cup final appearance.

As if their longest trophy drought for 40 years wasn't bad enough, United also suffered the indignity of watching bitter rivals Manchester City surpass them as England's pre-eminent football force.

Also read: 'Magnificent night,' says Erik ten Hag after Man Utd beat Barcelona 2-1

United, who last won the title in 2013, finished a dismal sixth in the Premier League last term. But after a decade in the wilderness, they have been revived by Ten Hag since his arrival from Ajax last year.

Crucially, Ten Hag's handling of Cristiano Ronaldo showed he would not be intimidated by player power, bringing an end to the Portugal star's second spell at United. "He first arrived and the training sessions we had, he demands ‘you do it or you're out'. You don't play," United midfielder Bruno Fernandes said. "Everyone was a little bit like ‘If a big player doesn't do what he wants will he pull him apart or not?' And he did that many times, he did it with Cristiano, with Jadon [Sancho], with Marcus [Rashford]."

There is no more tangible sign of Ten Hag's impact than the blistering form of revitalised United forward Rashford, who is battling to be fit for Wembley after suffering an injury in Thursday's Europa League win against Barcelona.

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