Erik ten Hag laid down the law on discipline straight away at Manchester United

Erik ten Hag laid down the law on discipline straight away upon his arrival at Manchester United.

The Dutchman has brought the good times back at Old Trafford quicker than many had thought, with United coming off the back of a huge Europa League play-off win over Barcelona on Thursday night.

The Red Devils came from behind to beat the Blaugrana 4-3 on aggregate courtesy of goals from Fred and Antony in the second half, setting up a round of 16 contest with Real Betis.

After some early wobbles, United look like a proper team again and could cap off a stunning week with their first trophy since 2017 with a Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle at Wembley on Sunday.

There's a lot to like about Ten Hag and the job he's done, but his no-nonsense approach has earned him plenty of admirers.

And he took no prisoners from the off. According to Simon Stone of the BBC, wonderkid Alejandro Garnacho was late for a meeting while the team were on their pre-season tour of Australia.

Image: Alamy

The Argentine did not feature again during their trip, with Ten Hag punishing him for his lateness.

And he took the exact same measures when the poor timekeeping was repeated by Marcus Rashford on New Year's Eve.

Rashford has been United's main man this term, scoring 24 goals. But when he was not on time for the meeting, Ten Hag dropped his talisman for "disciplinary reasons".

Image: Alamy

The England international came off the bench to score the only goal of the game and afterwards, accepted the decision from his manager.

"I was a little bit late. I slept in, I overslept," he told BT Sport.

"It’s the team rules and a mistake that can happen. [I was] Disappointed not to play but I understand the decision. I’m happy we managed to win the game. I think we can draw a line under it and move on."

Jadon Sancho was sent to the Netherlands for a lengthy hiatus, while Cristiano Ronaldo was punished for leaving the Spurs win early and eventually made surplus to requirements following that controversial interview with Piers Morgan.

Bruno Fernandes, who has been United's captain for large spells this season, likes the authority displayed by Ten Hag.

Image: Alamy

"He first arrived and we went on tour and the training sessions we had, he demands, 'you do it or you’re out' You don’t play,' Fernandes said on Rio Ferdinand's Between The Lines.

'Everyone was a little bit like in the beginning, 'will he do that or not? If a big player doesn’t do what he wants will he pull him apart or not?'

"And he did that many times, he did it with Cristiano, with Jadon, with Marcus."

Topics: Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United, Premier League, Alejandro Garnacho

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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