It has been a week to remember for Manchester United.
After an epic encounter with Barcelona and at least two takeover bids, a 3-0 win against Leicester on Sunday kept Erik ten Hag바카라™s team firmly in the race for the Premier League title.
It바카라™s fair to say there is a lot happening both on and off the field at a club that is entering the dawn of a new era.
With bids from Qatar and billionaire fan Jim Ratcliffe confirmed after Friday바카라™s deadline for initial offers, Old Trafford was already in a celebratory mood, with many fans eagerly anticipating the departure of unpopular current American owners, the Glazer family.
But Ten Hag is also giving them much to cheer with the impact he has had on a team that has gone 10 years since it last won the league title under iconic former manager Alex Ferguson.
No wonder that one leading fan group insisted before before kickoff that the Dutchman must be integral to any new owner바카라™s plans. 바카라śAfter the frustrations of the last decade, it is clear that enormous strides are being taken,바카라ť United바카라™s Supporters바카라™ Trust said on Sunday. 바카라śAny prospective bidder needs to explicitly commit to backing Erik and his plans to restore United to glory.바카라ť
Both Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Ratcliffe have vowed to return United to its former glories and it is not yet known how many other bids were submitted to merchant bank Raine Group by the time of Friday바카라™s deadline.
But Ten Hag is doing an impressive enough job of turning the club바카라™s fortunes around even without the aid of new owners as his team remains in contention to win four trophies in his first season in charge.
The win against Leicester kept the pressure on Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table and Ten Hag says the takeover will not be allowed to become a distraction.
바카라śWe are committed with this club, it is our club, in our heart, but it is not our job (to talk about the sale),바카라ť he said. 바카라śWe focus on football and perform and that is what the players and staff have to do.바카라ť
Whether Ten Hag likes it or not, the topic of United바카라™s next owner is not going away.
There were repeated chants of 바카라śWe want Glazers out바카라ť during the Leicester match and one fan had a message of opposition to Sheikh Jassim, with a sign which simply read 바카라śNo to Qatar바카라ť.
Qatar was criticized for its treatment of migrant workers in the buildup to hosting last year바카라™s World Cup and its human rights record.
After United바카라™s LGBTQ supporters바카라™ group, the Rainbow Devils, raised 바카라śdeep concern바카라ť about some bids, the Supporters바카라™ Trust added it noted 바카라śthe importance that any owner respects the rights of all people, particularly women and the LGBTQ+ community.바카라ť
On the field, Ten Hag바카라™s team is on a roll and faces a crunch week, which includes the second leg of the Europa League playoff against Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday and then the League Cup final against Newcastle at Wembley three days later.
The 2-2 draw with Barca at the Nou Camp was the latest indication that United is ready to challenge Europe바카라™s elite again and the second leg was on Ten Hag바카라™s mind as he spoke to supporters on his way to the locker room after Leicester.
바카라śI say come Thursday. It is a big game, make sure you are there and we beat Barcelona together,바카라ť he said afterward.
If Rashford continues his current run of form then there is every chance the fans will be celebrating again after that match.
The striker has scored 16 goals in his last 17 games and a career-best 24 for the season.
Jadon Sancho also showed signs that he is on the way back to top form by coming off the bench to seal the win that leaves United three points behind second-place Manchester City and five off leader Arsenal.
Not that Ten Hag was pleased with his team바카라™s first-half performance, which saw Leicester twice come close to taking the lead before Rashford scored.
바카라śWe have to follow the rules and principles from our way of playing. When you don바카라™t, it is getting a mess,바카라ť Ten Hag said. 바카라śWhen you face a good opponent like Leicester you will concede chances. It was only due to David de Gea that we don바카라™t concede a goal. We were really lucky at halftime we were one goal up 바카라” great pass from Bruno (Fernandes), great finish from Rashy. But the rest is rubbish.바카라ť
FIGHT FOR TOP FOUR
Newcastle바카라™s recent slump is proving costly and Tottenham took full advantage on Sunday by moving up to fourth in the table.
It looks set to be a fierce contest for the last of the Champions League qualifying spots, but Spurs lead the way after Emerson Royal and Son Heung-min scored in a 2-0 win against West Ham.
The Londoners are now one point ahead of Newcastle, having played a game more.
Liverpool can also be considered serious contenders after beating Newcastle 2-0 on Saturday.
Newcastle has now failed to win any of its last four games in the league.
Liverpool, meanwhile, is seven points off Tottenham with two games in hand and looks to have its confidence back after a season of struggle.
