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Erik ten Hag did what Manchester United fans wanted - that's why they won't turn on him now

Old Trafford stayed behind the team on Sunday as Man Utd were beaten 3-0 by Tottenham and while most fans now accept Erik ten Hag's days might be numbered, there is a reason they retain respect for him.

Erik ten Hag
Manchester United fans still retain plenty of respect for Erik ten Hag

When Erik ten Hag arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2022 the relationship between those who wear the shirt and the supporters who pay to watch them was as fractured as it has ever been.

The final days of Ralf Rangnick's reign included a toxic thrashing at Brighton when 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' echoed down from the away end at the Amex. Two games into Ten Hag's tenure it was same song, different venue. The blame for a 4-0 defeat at Brentford was put squarely at the door of the players rather than the new manager.

This was the peak of the player power era at Old Trafford. They were being accused of getting managers the sack and downing tools when they no longer wanted the man in charge to remain. Some of the criticism was exaggerated but some was fair. The dressing room was full of powerful egos and it was rarely pulling in the same direction.

Part of Ten Hag's brief was to control that and to return the powerbase at United to the office of manager rather than those inside the dressing room. He has been described as a disciplinarian and while that statement certainly has an element of truth to it, he knew he had to be strong from day one.

He did just that. Alejandro Garnacho was punished on Ten Hag's first pre-season tour for being late, Marcus Rashford was dropped for being late for a team meeting and severely reprimanded last season for a night out in Belfast that led to him missing a training session.

The most obvious examples are two players who are no longer at the club. Cristiano Ronaldo disliked Ten Hag's methods from the start and was never a good fit stylistically. He refused to come on against Tottenham and was dropped from the squad as a punishment. Then came his incendiary interview with Piers Morgan that ended his second spell at the club.

In Ten Hag's eyes, there was no coming back from that and his handling of a preening superstar who wasn't pulling his weight in the dressing room earned him the respect of the players. Ronaldo has his worshippers on social media and his sniping at Ten Hag will win him some favour online, but matchgoing fans especially were united behind Ten Hag.

The same was true when Jadon Sancho took to social media to accuse Ten Hag of lying when he called him out for a poor performance in training last September. Sancho refused to apologise and his only appearance after that was in the Community Shield. While United officials tried to insist peace had broken out earlier this summer, it was clearly a charade to try and prove to potential buyers that there wasn't a desperate need to sell.

Sancho was eventually offloaded to Chelsea, where he has started brightly, just as he did at Old Trafford. At his best he could have contributed at United, but his best was rarely seen and for Ten Hag the spirit and unity in the squad had to come ahead of any player.

It was interesting listening to Ten Hag when he discussed Sancho last season. It was the first time he had really gone into detail about what he inherited at the club. He had said previously that standards off the pitch weren't up to scratch, but this was the first time he mentioned the culture inside the dressing room.

"It is my job to control the standards," Ten Hag said. "Strict lines is what the club asked me because there was no good culture before I entered last season.

"Of course, it is never someone only makes one mistake, it is a whole process before you come to a certain outcome about strict lines. If staff or players or whoever, there is a structure to cross lines so you have to be strong."

The feeling is that the dressing room is a more unified place now. This is a time of crisis and players will be looking out for themselves to a degree. Not everyone will agree on what should happen next, but standards are higher.

Scott McTominay was the kind of character and tone-setter Ten Hag didn't want to lose before his move to Napoli. When the academy graduate talked about the pressure the Dutchman was under last December, his revealing answer hinted at what had gone on in previous dressing rooms.

“It is the players’ responsibility, first and foremost – the players know that as well,” he said. “We have had many amazing players over the time and I feel like now we’re at a stage we have big characters in the dressing room.

“It’s not just a case like with some of the other managers where it’s been a little bit toxic at times. The boys are firmly behind the manager. That’s the be all and end all and the way it will remain. We’ve got an amazing coaching staff as well.

“People can get lost in translation and carried away with what the players think and what they say behind closed doors. We just want to do well for the football club and it’s as simple as that.”

Ten Hag is undoubtedly fighting for his future now. A failure to beat Porto or Aston Villa this week might be terminal. But whatever happens at Estádio do Dragão and Villa Park, the away end won't turn on their manager, just as they didn't during the shambolic defeat to Tottenham at the weekend.

The 54-year-old has credit in the bank with supporters, not only for those two trophies, but because he was the man who took on player power at Old Trafford and won. It might not seem like a win right now, but the improvement behind the scenes and the discipline being imposed now is down to Ten Hag.

That is a significant reason for the support he still has. Fans wanted someone to come in and show authority in the dressing room and Ten Hag delivered.

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