Dutch tactician Erik ten Hag has made a promising start to life as Manchester United manager by getting these three decisions absolutely spot on! Join us in identifying those accurate calls and analysing the impact they've had or could have.
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Benching Ronaldo
There's a pattern developing with the Red Devils' 52-year-old manager – what he says publicly isn't always how he feels. Upon joining the 20-time English champions ahead of last season, Ten Hag spoke in glowing terms of Cristiano Ronaldo, who, despite scoring 24 goals in his first campaign back at Old Trafford, was believed by many to not be well-suited to the Dutchman's system. Experts were proved correct as Ten Hag found it difficult to get the best out of an ageing Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar is among the greatest players the sport has ever seen, yet seemed to lack the ingredients to perform well in a pressing team. His age, of course, didn't help, but neither did his attitude. Ten Hag began to leave him on the bench regularly, eventually resulting in a high-profile and rather one-sided spat between the pair. Ronaldo ultimately departed United as a free agent prior to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, after which Marcus Rashford found himself in arguably the best goalscoring form of his career. United later finished third in the Premier League, months after securing the 2022/23 Carabao Cup trophy earlier in the campaign!
Prioritising Onana over De Gea
Before the halfway mark of last season, Ten Hag said David de Gea could continue to develop in his system when it seemed certain, at least to supporters and analysts of the game, that the Spaniard was struggling to adapt to being a sweeper-keeper. Throughout his career, the 32-year-old has been hailed as a specialist shot-stopper, but United fans have witnessed his skills drastically diminish over the past three years. At one point, it looked as if Dean Henderson would usurp the experienced Spain international, but Ten Hag had other plans! Inter Milan have reportedly agreed to sell Andre Onana to the Red Devils following a long negotiation process, one said to have started while United were still in talks to extend De Gea's contract. After it appeared he wasn't going anywhere, a shift happened and the English giants withdrew their extension offer on the terms they'd initially proposed, and ramped up their pursuit of the Cameroonian, who made 145 appearances under Ten Hag in the Netherlands prior to his Italy switch. Football is a fast-evolving sport and it is time United stopped playing catch-up! They will now have a goalkeeper comfortable in possession, and this will likely make them a better side.
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Taking captaincy away from Maguire
There wouldn't have been too many upset United supporters had Ten Hag stripped Maguire of captaincy immediately after his arrival, but it might've been tough dealing with an unhappy England international he couldn't sell. At the start of last season, the centre-back had three years remaining on his deal. Now, with just 24 months on his contract at United, it's a different story. Ten Hag has decided to head into the new campaign with a new team leader, a role that is expected to become Bruno Fernandes', in a move that makes it appear as if the Dutchman is pushing Maguire towards the exit door, but not quite through it. Speaking just a few months ago, the 52-year-old admitted that the Englishman had a decision to make over his future as reports in England suggested he wasn't going to force him to leave. This, effectively, is Ten Hag's way of showing Maguire that working his way back into the starting XI will almost be an impossible task, which could ultimately encourage the player to find a club willing to give him game time.
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