Five things Erik ten Hag must sort out at Man Utd
Jacque Talbot
- Updated: 6 May 2022 13:36 BST
- 4 min read
Erik ten Hag might be joining one of the richest and most successful clubs in the world in the summer, but he has a lot to sort out at Manchester United.
Indeed, the Dutchman will come to Old Trafford in the aftermath of what’s been described as a club nadir.
Man Utd will endure another season without a trophy, while they have almost certainly missed out on Champions League football next season.
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Such is the monumental task he faces, Rio Ferdinand put together his own six-point plan for what the current Ajax boss to do when he arrives.
And in some ways stealing his idea, we have decided to provide our own blueprint for the coach-elect - a step-by-step guide of what Ten Hag should do to fix things when he begins his time in Manchester.
Harmony
The Man Utd dressing room appears to be one of frustration and distrust. Constant leaks of a split in the camp marred with poor results and talks of star names wishing to move away have cast a huge dark shadow over the club. Ten Hag must sort out the general ethos at Carrington and beyond. Trust must be built. No more talking to the press about minor squabbles - what goes on at Man Utd should stay within the confines of the club. It’s that ‘us against the world’ mentality that can be so effective.
There must be a mass exodus
Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba, and Jesse Lingard are all out of contract in the summer and will undeniably leave. But Ten Hag should look to all the underperformers of Ralf Rangnick’s reign and issue a clear out of those as well.
This includes Eric Bailly, who is too injury-prone, Anthony Martial, who lacks heart, the ageing Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata must go, even in lieu of the latter’s sublime performance over Burnley, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has dropped off tremendously.
Don’t buy big
Man Utd have constantly tried to shoehorn in ready-made, big-named players but it hasn't worked. From Paul Pogba to Jadon Sancho, the club looks desperate to appease the masses and their sponsorship partners by purchasing with no thought as to whether the player would be suited to the system that was being implemented at the time.
Too often Man Utd sign a marquee player who then, inevitably, loses all desire and remains just another one of the big names sitting on a huge wage bill. Ten Hag must be offered the freedom to find players who can suit his style, and who are of age to grow with the club.
Become hard to beat
Man Utd’s success this season has solely come from individual displays. There is no bearing of any sort of squad cohesion, just a reliance on moments of magic from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea.
They are hugely inconsistent and seem to be afraid of putting a foot wrong. Like Newcastle under Eddie Howe, Man Utd must get back to the basics, learn how to grind out results and be tough to break down. Once these fundamentals are nailed, even if it means putting out some ugly performances, the results will surely start to follow.
Set out a clear identity
When you think about Liverpool or Manchester City, you already have a clear image of what they represent. The same could be said of the likes of Brighton, Southampton, and even Crystal Palace. For better or worse, with these clubs, there is a common, easily-identifiable objective. But Man Utd lack that.
They are a side full of separate entities all chucked together. Ten Hag will need to set out Man Utd’s stall as a club whose identity is clear and mould the entire club - from the backroom staff to the players on the pitch - in his vision.
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