Life at Manchester United is rarely dull but perhaps the best compliment you can pay Erik ten Hag is that Old Trafford is now a place of calm and stability.
This is a club who have consigned their captain to the bench for most of the season, jettisoned their most famous player and dropped their top scorer for a breach of discipline, while dealing with the uncertainty sparked when hugely unpopular owners hinted they were finally ready to sell up.
And yet, in the week the club reached a first domestic cup final in five years, United host Crystal Palace tomorrow feeling better about themselves than for years, and that’s largely down to Ten Hag. Just how has he done it?
When United approached the Ajax coach last summer it was hardly a slam-dunk appointment. No one could be. After the failure of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer – respectively Sir Alex Ferguson’s anointed successor, a world-renowned coach, the biggest name in management and a bona-fide club legend – there was no guarantee anyone would thrive at Old Trafford. And, after the debacle of Ralf Rangnick’s stint in caretaker charge, little-known European tacticians were treated with particular suspicion.
But in his handling of matters both planned and unforeseen – and after a sticky start which saw United lose three of their first seven league games – Ten Hag has proven to his players, the club and the fanbase he is in charge and the right man to take United forward.
And, as was already the case at Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, there can no longer be any doubt it is the manager who calls the shots at Old Trafford.
Dropping the captain
Club captain Harry Maguire has started just twice in the league since the opening day of the season (Picture: PA)
In Harry Maguire, Ten Hag inherited a club captain out of form and under fire, reportedly embroiled in a power struggle with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Maguire was booked in the home defeat to Brighton on the opening day of the season and taken off at half-time as United lost 4-0 at Brentford the following week.
Since then, despite his status at the club and his excellent displays at the World Cup, Maguire has started just twice in the league, with even left-back Luke Shaw preferred at the heart of defence for last month’s win over City.
And yet a situation fraught with potential for discord has proven anything but. The centre-back has played the good soldier, results and performances have vindicated Ten Hag’s decision and the squad have been shown it is not who you are, it’s what you do that counts now.
At war with an icon
Ten Hag won the war with Ronaldo as the United legend’s contract was terminated following his explosive interview with Piers Morgan (Picture: Shutterstock)
Which brings us nicely on to Ronaldo. Any suggestion the forward was going to put team before self went in pre-season when the 37-year-old left for home while his team-mates were playing Rayo Vallecano.
Ten Hag largely let it slide but when Ronaldo repeated the trick against Tottenham – walking down the tunnel before the final whistle – he was axed from the squad to play Chelsea.
Three weeks later, when the five-time Ballon d’Or winner went nuclear with his Piers Morgan interview, United acted swiftly, terminating his contract.
Ten Hag may or may not have been behind the decision but the message was clear – the rookie manager carried more clout than the fading star. It was an important moment in establishing Ten Hag’s authority.
Lifting the local hero
Ten Hag has clearly got into Marcus Rashford’s head – the forward has been a goal machine since the Dutchman took over (Picture: Getty)
If he inherited a Ronaldo whose skills were on the wane, in Marcus Rashford, Ten Hag found a forward with his best years still ahead of him. But the England star’s form had cratered following the heartache of his penalty shoot-out miss in the European Championship final.
Rashford’s resurgence under Ten Hag has been huge, the 25-year-old realising his potential – all power, pace and decisive finishing. He scored eight times for United before the World Cup but since returning from Qatar – where he scored three times in the group stages – Rashford has gone into overdrive. Ten goals in 11 games.
One of those goals, the winner at Wolves, came after he was dropped from the starting XI for a breach of discipline. Ten Hag’s decision to leave out his key player coupled with Rashford’s response were a superb advert for the Dutchman’s man-management skills.
Unlikely focal point
Ten Hag drafted in Wout Weghorst (right) on loan to fill a vacant role in the team (Picture: Manchester United/Getty)
An unconventional January striker signing is nothing new at United. Remember Odion Ighalo?
But the arrival of Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley via Besiktas shows it’s not what you do but why you do it that counts. Unlike Ronaldo, the big Dutchman is not going to sell many replica shirts but was identified as the best option available to fill a defined and vacant role in the team.
In that sense he is as typical a Ten Hag signing as Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen or Casemiro.
Casemiro (left) has been in superb form since he swapped the Bernabéu for Old Trafford (Picture: EPA)
Some accused the Brazilian of swapping Real Madrid for United for financial reasons but whatever his motivation – and Casemiro claims the move has made him feel like a 15-year-old again – the 30-year-old has been in superb form, providing the guile and experience to knit together Ten Hag’s blueprint.
Antony, the second-most expensive signing in United’s history, is the one Ten Hag buy who has struggled to shine but such is the feel-good factor it has not been a major distraction.
There will doubtless be more bumps in the road but, on the evidence of the first six months, United have finally found a manager with the ability and character to plot a route back to the big time.
