League Cup could be start of Man United-Newcastle rivalry

Its fair to say Manchester United and Newcastle have their sights on much bigger prizes than the English League CupBoth teams however will recognize the significance of lifting the first major trophy of the season and potentially signaling the start of a new era of success for the winnerSundays final at Wembley is a meeting of two rising forces in the Premier League who will hope to be going headtohead at the top of the sport for years to comeWhich is why a first piece of silverware could be such an essential building blockUnited looks transformed under manager Erik ten Hag who has guided the 20time English champions to his first final at the earliest possible point after taking over at the end of last season Its sparked talk of an unlikely title challengeAfter six years without a trophy United fans are desperate for something to cheer and hungry for evidence the club is ready to challenge the dominance of fierce rival Manchester CityAlso Read Europa League Antony Fred fire Manchester United to a rousing 21 win over BarcelonaFor Newcastle the wait for a major piece of domestic silverware has been considerably longer 68 years in fact since it won the FA Cup in 1955 And hopes of success had all but faded until Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund bought the club in 2021 making it arguably the richest in world soccerNewcastles development is possibly quicker than some expected and has come without the sort of exorbitant spending seen from other clubs that have experienced sudden wealthUnder manager Eddie Howe a sound if unspectacular transfer strategy has put a team that looked set for relegation last season in serious contention for a topfour Champions League qualifying spotA ticket into Europes elite club competition would open the door for marquee signings and further improvement on the field with the ultimate aim of challenging for the biggest titles alongside the giants of the gameWhile Newcastles topfour challenge has slipped in recent weeks Howes team which will be without suspended goalkeeper Nick Pope still appears ahead of schedule and a trophy would underline his impressive work so farTen Hag however has also exceeded expectations in his first season in charge especially after such a humbling start to the campaign in which his team lost its opening two gamesSitting five points off leader Arsenal thirdplace United is in contention at the top of the Premier League while the League Cup gives the Dutchman the chance to win only the clubs fourth trophy since the retirement of iconic former manager Alex Ferguson in 2013Louis van Gaal won the FA Cup in 2016 but was fired at the end of that seasonHis replacement Jose Mourinho won the League Cup and the Europa League in his first season in 2017 but that trophy double proved to be the height of his reign which ended when he was fired in 2018There is hope among fans that a trophy for Ten Hag would be a genuine pointer to a new period of success rather than a false dawn and the League Cup has been used as a platform for winning eras at other clubs in recent yearsThe first of Mourinhos seven trophies at Chelsea was the League Cup in 2005 and it was also Pep Guardiolas first at City in 2018While there is no guarantee it would have a similar impact for either United or Newcastle it would be confirmation of the progress being made at both clubsTen Hag was hired to bring the good times back to United while expectations are growing at Newcastle after the influx of money from Saudi ArabiaIt is the League Cup at stake on Sunday but the final could be a warmup for much greater challenges between these two clubs going forwardThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever