Captaincy, Ron, squad fitness... Erik has a lot on Reds to-do list...
IT may feel like football has only just finished if, in fact, it has at all, but already we’re nearing the whole cycle beginning again.
The first batch of the squad will return to Carrington for pre-season training soon and although no new signings have yet arrived, it’s still been a summer of change in Manchester – there will be a new man in charge when the players return.
Erik ten Hag has a massive job on his hands to turn his new side’s fortunes around and the groundwork for any success will now begin.
Here are seven things he has to do before the season gets underway:
1. DECIDE ON HIS CAPTAIN
A situation that Ten Hag will have to quickly address is that of the club captaincy. Harry Maguire endured a terrible season last term and his leadership of the team has come under severe scrutiny as a result.
There’s a sentiment that the centre-back may benefit from being stripped of the burden of leading the side and being allowed to focus on improving his own game but, in turn, such a blow could be a further dent to his confidence. There aren’t a lot of standout candidates for the armband – Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and David de Gea are the only realistic options – so it could be a difficult decision.
2. RUN THE RULE OVER POTENTIAL DEPARTURES
Not only has there been no activity with incomings but there haven’t been any sales this summer yet either.
Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Lee Grant all leave as free agents but other players who could be on the chopping block are yet to depart.
Ten Hag may be willing to give the likes of Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and even Aaron Wan-Bissaka (who has already been deemed surplus to requirements) one last chance to impress him before he sanctions sales. The boss will have to decide if they have done enough to earn a reprieve quickly so any sales have time to go through.
Decisions will also have to be made on whether players such as James Garner, Amad, Brandon Williams and Facundo Pellistri will remain at Old Trafford or go out on loan again.
3. CHOOSE HIS NO.1
Though De Gea will almost certainly start the season between the sticks after his excellent campaign, there may well be room yet for Henderson to stake a claim. If he doesn’t complete a loan move in the next week, that is. While a great shotstopper, De Gea isn’t comfortable with the ball at his feet as Ten Hag likes with his goalkeepers whereas Henderson has much more ability in possession. It may not be enough to displace the in-form De Gea, but
A striking feature of United’s dreadful season was how unfit the squad looked Daniel Murphy
a decision will have to be made.
4. IMPROVE THE SQUAD’S FITNESS
One of the striking aspects of United’s dreadful last season was how unfit the squad as a whole looked.
It felt like every team they came up against ran further, faster and harder and that alone may have led to several preventable defeats. It’s little wonder that Ralf Rangnick gave up trying to get the team to press so quickly – ten Hag will have to whip his side into shape if he wants to implement a press of his own.
5. SETTLE ON A PREFERRED FORMATION AND STYLE
Pre-season is a time for experimentation for any manager and that’s even more the case when coming into a new club. Formation-wise, 4-3-3 would be the safe bet for Ten Hag’s preferred system, but he didn’t stick religiously to tradition at Ajax and was open to mixing up his tactics if the situation suited.
He has often used 4-2-3-1 and back-three formations, so it will be interesting to see what he settles on at United in pre-season.
While we can assume Ten Hag will look to impose a possessionbased style of play, the intricacies will have to be fine-tuned in friendlies and on the training pitch.
6. WORK OUT HOW HE WILL USE RONALDO
A big part of how United will play next season is how Ten Hag decides to utilise Ronaldo.
There is no question that the No.7 has to be a regular feature in the side after netting 24 goals in the season just gone, but at 37 he can’t be the only striker that United rely on – and his lack of pressing could be an issue.
Ten Hag will have to build his squad around Ronaldo’s few shortcomings to accentuate his many strengths.
7. ASSESS THE YOUNGSTERS
If the past is anything to go by United will work slowly in the market and it’s likely that not all the positions in need of strengthening will see reinforcements added.
If that is the case, Ten Hag could always turn to the academy to improve his squad – as he did in Ajax. Breakout star Alejandro Garnacho, as well as Hannibal Mejbri and Alvaro Fernandez, all gained first-team experience last season while the likes of Teden Mengi, Charlie McNeill, Joe Hugill, and Shola Shoretires will all be hoping for a chance to impress.