Erik ten Hag has done well to arrest Manchester United’s rapid decline over the last 12 months and ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby, the Dutchman has won four straight Premier League games.
The four-game winning streak has also won him the Manager of the Month award, with forward Marcus Rashford winning the players equivalent.
Ten Hag’s new signings, six of them in particular, have really helped shift the mentality from last season and now, four players have been named as parts of a leadership group at Old Trafford.
That’s according to The Telegraph, who say that Bruno Fernandes, David de Gea, Tom Heaton and Harry Maguire are part of the leadership group behind the scenes and have helped steer the ship.
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As per the report, Fernandes and Heaton, in particular, are seeing a change in culture at the club. Five of the six new signings, with Martin Dubravka excluded, are also said to have made a strong impression in the first few weeks of the season.
Antony, the big-money signing from Ajax, has enjoyed a stellar start to life at United and according to the report, the Brazilian star has brought an ‘extra intensity’ to training.
SN’s verdict…
Ten Hag opted to sign players he was familiar with this summer and one thing that is becoming increasingly clear is that he has brought in players with mentalities that align with his own.
United were fragile last season. The most minor setback could scupper an entire gameplan but that hasn’t happened this season. United have been resilient and that stems from a change of culture driven by the manager.
Ten Hag has laid the gauntlet down and he’s in full control of the dressing room. That’s not something you can say the last two managers had.
