UNITED IN Getting back take captains, like the glory
Says ex-MUFC
NEW Man United boss Erik ten Hag has been urged to recruit leaders so he stands a chance of healing a fractured dressing room and launching a Red Devils revival.
The no-nonsense advice comes from Old Trafford legend Gary Pallister, who admits he was shocked by what he saw from his former club last season.
And while he believes an overhaul is required on the pitch, the ex-England centrehalf believes it is behind the scenes where major surgery is desperately required. United finished sixth last term, 35 points behind neighbours City and will be playing in the UEFA Europa Conference League next season after their worst campaign for decades. Pallister won four Premier League titles, three FA Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup during his nine years at the club.
And he claims that for United to have any chance of rediscovering the winning habit, Ten Hag must improve the character of the squad.
“It’s been well documented there were problems in the dressing room and that came across in a lot of performances,” said Pallister, who is still a regular watcher at his old stamping ground.
“The new manager has to get the place firing again, make us united again. The dynamic must change and all those issues which dragged us down have to be resolved quickly.
“We won’t start competing with the likes of City and Liverpool until everyone starts pulling in the same direction.”
Pallister, 56, was a member of Bryan Robson’s legendary drinking school, when players used to retire to the pub after training on a Tuesday and thrash out their problems over a pint or 10. While he’s not advocating a
return to the booze culture, he reckons United could do a lot worse than take a few leaves out of the old school manual.
“Look, you don’t like to hark back to your own playing career and I accept the days when lads spent hours down the local are gone,” he added.
“But what I would say is that the team I played in had four or five captains – Robbo, of course, Steve Bruce, Paul Ince, Roy Keane, Eric Cantona.
“Every one of them a naturalborn leader who would have worn the armband every week if they were anywhere but United.
“They had the personality, the hunger and the willingness to go that extra yard which any winning machine requires.
“They’d be in their team-mates’ ears throughout a game but you didn’t mind that because you knew that when the going got tough, they’d dig you out of a hole.
“There are no leaders of that ilk now.
“Harry Maguire is probably the closest but he’s just come out of a very taxing season.
“That’s what this current team needs more than anything else.” Pallister knows a thing or two about defending but refuses to jump on the anti-Maguire bandwagon.
“I’ve heard Ten Hag (left) might take the captaincy off him and give it David de Gea,” he said. “Now I’m not a fan of keepers skippering a team but the new man has every right to do what he thinks on that front. I do believe that focusing on individuals is missing the point, however.
“There are a lot of reasons why United had such a poor season.
“As I said, Harry lost a bit of confidence and he’s borne the brunt of the criticism, mainly because he’s been the one thrust in front of the cameras. But a lot of lads have under-performed.
“Bruno Fernandes, who was sensational in the previous two years, had a very quiet season.
“And you could name one or two others whose standards slipped too.
“But blaming one or two players is totally missing the point because United’s problems go a lot deeper than that.
“Yes, Ten Hag has to improve the quality of the squad and I’ll be watching who he brings in with keen interest.
“But the key to any future success is improving the character of the squad and improving team spirit.
“It will only feel like Manchester United again when the club is well and truly United.”