You wouldn’t need to be Nostradamus to take a punt on the kind of headlines Manchester United fans will be reading during the upcoming season.

“Reds Stars Baffled by ‘Control Freak’ Ten Hag!”
“Draining Sessions – United Struggling Under ‘Unreasonable’ Erik”
“Ten Bags?! EtH Blasts Shaw’s Latest ‘Crisps ‘n’ Revels’ Binge”.

After the ‘good vibes only’ of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it was perhaps inevitable that snapping the current crop of United stars out of their easy-going mindset would be a huge challenge.

Standards had been slipping for years and there seemed to be few, if any, consequences for poor performances. Mediocrity wasn’t just tolerated – it had become the norm.

Dragging United into the modern era proved a bridge too far for Ralf Rangnick, who failed to win over the hearts and minds of the dressing room and ended up looking like the only person on the Titanic trying to be heard shouting ‘iceberg’ over the sounds of popping corks.

Erik ten Hag will need to reverse this sense of atrophy and acceptance and stories of his time at FC Utrecht provide clues about what his new charges should expect.  

During his early days with the Dutch minnows, it’s said that training games were constantly interrupted by the peep of a whistle as the new coach interrupted the flow of play to highlight a minor instruction not being followed.

Training sessions could last for hours and players complained of feeling mentally drained by what seemed an overbearing level of micromanagement.

Then, as his methods became ingrained, the whistles receded and his obsessive attention to detail started to yield results.
Former-keeper Robbin Ruiter said, “We’d come from a coach who gave us a lot of freedom and a lot of fun – laughing and joking around – and we went to a coach like Erik who was putting us through three hours on the pitch where you don’t think you’re doing much.”

Ruiter’s observations share almost uncanny parallels with the indulged group of princelings who plumbed the depths to deliver arguably United’s worst season since the Premier League began.

So, what does the latest manager to occupy the Old Trafford hot seat expect from his teams?

Apart from 15mm grass pitches, he’s going to demand quick, one-touch football. Defenders will be expected to build out from the back, all players will be expected to be confident on the ball and able to switch positions.

Pass and move will be the order of the day, with attackers constantly looking to occupy spaces and make dangerous runs. It will be front-foot, intense and proactive.

It seems a world away from the ‘Express yourselves!’ limitations of Ole-ball. Which begs the question, is this group capable of rising to the challenge?

The first thing Ten Hag will see is that his best keeper, David de Dea, is average with his feet and often rooted to his line. The Spaniard is 32 in November, so is probably beyond remoulding.

His full-backs will need to improve their fitness and output if they’re going to provide enough width and penetration to pin opposition defences back. On the right side, only Diogo Dalot has the technique to be an asset in the opponents’ half.

Crucially, attackers will need to shake off the lethargy of seasons past to impose themselves on centre backs and lead from the front.

Nothing we’ve previously seen from the likes of Marcus Rashford, Cristiano Ronaldo, or the statuesque Antony Martial, inspires confidence in their ability to harass opponents and chase lost causes.  

In defence, can Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane be made to feel comfortable in a high line? If not, does the current captain get dropped to the bench? And, if so, could he remain captain from the sidelines?

Then there’s United’s ground zero – the midfield. Could Bruno Fernandes be coached to rein in the risk-taking and offer more control? Do Scott McTominay and Fred have hidden technical abilities that could see them revitalised under a new manager. It feels like blind hope more than expectation.

Question marks plague the entire squad and they won’t all be answered by dipping into the transfer market. To an extent, Ten Hag will need to work with what he’s got.

However, while here are sensible reservations over most positions, the former Ajax coach’s biggest challenge will be to change the mindset and, with that, the culture.

If he can’t get this pampered bunch of underachievers to buy into his methods, individual personnel will mean little. History tells us that, when pressure is applied, this group will drip feed negativity to the press and switch the focus from themselves to the failings of the manager.

If he can win the battle for hearts and minds, he stands a chance. Everyone, at every level of the club, needs to heed the words of the last great boss and stand by the manager. Only then will the Dutchman have a fighting chance of becoming the club’s next great boss.

Scott Eckersley