Man United are continuing with their squad reduction plan before the transfer window closes.
After nearly a decade of decline, Manchester United are on their way back.
Last season’s third-place finish and Carabao Cup triumph gave United a solid base to work from ahead of the second chapter of the Erik ten Hag era, which begins at home to Wolves on Monday night. The club are aiming to improve their position in the league and add a trophy or two to their collection this season.
Inspired by Ten Hag’s first-rate coaching credentials and his approach to discipline, standards have been restored to levels not seen at Old Trafford since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson. The Dutchman refused to accept half-hearted approaches last season which led to rising standards and performance levels across the board.
He also wasn’t shy about taking on big challenges or making decisions that could upset the Applecart. Ask David de Gea, Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Cristiano Ronaldo
The Dutchman ended the era of player power at Old Trafford and led the rebuilding of a broken relationship between players and fans after a disastrous 2021/22 season. It was impressive that we managed to do it in one season.
Above all, Ten Hag is a manager who commands authority, which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lacked in his personal abilities. He is the elite coach that Solskjaer was not.
But having won a trophy on the first occasion and returned the club to the Champions League last season, his approach to management was fully justified. And it is that management style, as well as his willingness to make big decisions that others hide from, that should keep United going.
United, in an effort to stay on track, have added three new faces to their squad this summer, all of whom are major signings. Andre Onana was brought in to develop United’s plan to play the ball from behind, Mason Mount was brought in to inject new energy into midfield and Rasmus Hojlund was brought in to score goals. While new additions will be key in moving United forward, so will departures. The Reds boast a torrid record of selling well-timed players in recent years, with the club refusing to raise funds when the time was right, instead opting to sign fringe players to commit to new high-wage contracts.
Eric Bailly’s contract extension in April 2021 is probably the best and most bizarre example of United’s mismanagement in recent years. Since he signed that new contract, which runs until the summer of 2024, he has made just 13 appearances for United, the last of which came in December 2021.
With Ten Hag now at the helm, there is no chance of such a scenario happening again. As he demonstrated with De Gea, despite some initial hesitation, and with a group of young players at the beginning of the summer, if a player doesn’t fit into his plans, or has no chance of making it in the future, he’s out the door. .
As Ralf Rangnick said before taking on an interim job at United in November 2021, building a club is a two-way process, with players coming and going. You can’t keep adding players without saying hello to others.
And that is why United’s decision to accept an offer from Fenerbahce for midfielder Fred is another example of Ten Hag being in control at Old Trafford and allowing the necessary decisions to be made. Although the Brazilian played in 56 of United’s 62 games last season, he stood no chance of becoming a regular in this season following Mount’s arrival. United had always intended to sell Fred, no doubt having realized that, despite an extension, his contract would expire in a year’s time and his value would plummet further by that stage. United would have preferred to let him get to the end of his contract and then let him go on a free transfer.
United have been guilty of bad planning and mismanagement for far too long. However, Ten Hag can fix those mistakes, giving him the authority to take control.
More players have to leave before the deadline, but Fred’s imminent departure proves United are finally learning from past mistakes.
