This coming season, Manchester United will be looking to put their past horrific campaignbehind them.
The arrival of a renowned tactician, Erik ten Hag, has boosted the mood around Old Trafford and granted the club's fans renewed hope.
Last season, Manchester United players lacked the ambition, strength, and mental toughness the club and its illustrious history typically nurtures. This season, Erik ten Hag will look to add firepower in the transfer window while igniting a spark in his existing squad.
Of these existing squad members, nine returning loanees will rejoin the first team, and eight Academy-bred youngsters will look for permanent first-team promotion. These loanees will have had the new challenge and experience that their overall game needed and will return desperate to impress the new gaffer.
Without further ado, here are three returning loanees Ten Hag can count on to make a difference for Manchester United this season;
Donny Van de Beek
A reunion is on the cards for Donny van de Beek and Erik ten Hag. The 25-year-old midfielder was an integral peg in Ten Hag's 2018/2019 Ajax machinery.
Under ex-coach Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Van de Beek struggled to make consistent appearances and was often left frustrated on the bench. He secured a short-term loan move to Everton in January 2022 after Solskjaer's sacking.
At Everton, Van de Beek made just seven appearances due to an injury he picked up in early March. When he returned in May, he could only appear on the season's final day, scoring a consolation goal in Everton's 5-1 defeat at Arsenal.
Van de Beek blossomed at Ajax under Ten Hag, scoring 40 goals and dishing out 37 assists in just under 120 appearances. He will be hoping to replicate those numbers this season as he's likely to earn more starting berths from his former coach.
The Dutch international is an expert at making midfield runs into the box. At Everton, he showed that he still possesses the passing range and composed finishing that made him one of Europe's most highly-rated midfielders.
And with the departure of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata, and Nemanja Matic, all indications are that Van de Beek's time at Manchester United is now.
Since he arrived from AS Monaco in September 2015, Anthony Martial has had a torrid experience. The French attacker has endured managerial disputes, injuries, and underwhelming performances since his 60 million euros move to Manchester.
With Cristiano Ronaldo's and Jadon Sancho's arrivals last season, Martial struggled to make the starting eleven and, most times, even the matchday squad. This lack of playing time caused the 26-year-old to seek game minutes elsewhere.
In January of 2022, Martial secured a loan move to La Liga club Sevilla until the end of the season. At Sevilla, he battled with injury problems and didn't get going, making just two goal contributions in 12 appearances.
The 2015 Golden Boy award recipient enjoyed life under Louis van Gaal and was instrumental in United's 2016 FA Cup triumph. And upon his return from an unsuccessful loan spell, he would hope he could enjoy life under another Dutch manager.
Martial's ability to link up the play as an anchor man in attack, coupled with his exceptional dribbling abilities, could see him thrive in Ten Hag's system, especially with an aging Ronaldo, the only other first-team striking option.
If Ten Hag can rekindle Martial's 2019/2020 form, Manchester United could terrorise defenders across Europe.
James Garner
Manchester United is a club full of exciting youngsters, and James Garner is one of them. The English midfielder joined the club's academy when he was seven years old and has seen his development skyrocket in recent years.
Garner has enjoyed successful loan spells at Watford and Nottingham Forest over the past two seasons. Last term, he was hugely influential in Nottingham Forests' first top-flight promotion in 30 years.
With an incredible passing range and notoriety for making crucial interceptions, Garner's return to Manchester could see him provide the solution to United's defensive midfield problems in the long run.
Further boosting the 21-year-old's hopes would be Ten Hag's ball retention philosophy, which perfectly accommodates his skills set. And with Nemanja Matic's departure this summer, there are boots to be filled in defensive midfield at Manchester United.
