Carabao Cup final: Inside Erik ten Hag's Manchester United revolution

Erik 10 Hag is bidding to assistance Man Utd assistance their archetypal trophy for astir six years connected Sunday

Manchester United anticipation to triumph their archetypal trophy successful astir six years erstwhile they conscionable Newcastle successful the Carabao Cup Cup last astatine Wembley.

Had they not mislaid their opening 2 Premier League games against Brighton and Brentford, United would present beryllium regarded arsenic genuine rubric contenders. They stay successful the FA Cup and person present emerged triumphant from a pulsating two-legged Europa League tussle with European heavyweights Barcelona successful what Ten Hag described arsenic his 'biggest win' since arriving astatine the nine successful May.

The upbeat feeling amongst supporters is acold removed from the messiness their nine appeared to beryllium successful astatine the extremity of past season.

United won 38 trophies during Alex Ferguson's 26-year reign astatine Old Trafford, including 13 league titles, 2 Champions Leagues, 5 FA Cups and 4 League Cups.

However, since his departure successful 2013 they person won lone the FA Cup nether Louis van Gaal, the League Cup, Europa League and Community Shield nether Jose Mourinho, and the Community Shield nether David Moyes.

But the commencement of Erik 10 Hag's reign has restored anticipation to the Old Trafford faithful.

Why Ten Hag became 'the evident choice'

The Dutchman has done an awesome occupation since arriving from Ajax arsenic manager successful the summer, the sixth antheral to effort to recreate astatine slightest immoderate of the occurrence Ferguson enjoyed earlier helium stood down successful 2013.

It goes against the wide communicative of their respective clip astatine United to connection erstwhile enforcement vice-chairman Ed Woodward and manager of shot negotiations Matt Judge astatine slightest immoderate recognition for their aged club's contiguous position.

Yet determination are those that stay who judge it is due.

Woodward and Judge helped acceptable retired the template that was expanded by main enforcement Richard Arnold, manager of shot John Murtough and method manager Darren Fletcher which yet led to Ten Hag being identified arsenic Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's imperishable successor.

Key characteristics were demanded of imaginable candidates.

Did helium win? Did helium triumph with style? Did helium marque players better? Did helium make young players? Did his teams predominate the ball? Did helium person the spot of quality and property to woody with each that being Manchester United manager entails?

Crucially, was helium prepared to enactment with unit astatine the nine alternatively than ignoring them oregon moving against?

Ten Hag soon became an evident choice.

Yet the inheritance enactment went on. The Dutchman spoke to United connected a fig of occasions earlier helium was offered the job. Scenarios were enactment to him for his observations connected however helium would woody with them.

On 21 April, the assignment was confirmed.

'A throwback to the Ferguson era'

Ten Hag's uncompromising cognition to his enactment was evident immediately.

Ajax inactive had 5 Eredivisie games to play. Ten Hag was committed to retaining the title. He would lone talk to United officials connected his 1 escaped day a week until the play was over. Murtough took a play formation to Amsterdam, taking cardinal members of unit with him.

Immediately aft Ajax's last crippled connected 15 May, Ten Hag flew to London, wherever helium spent a week gathering much staff, purposely staying distant from United's Carrington grooming base, earlier attending the last Premier League lucifer astatine Crystal Palace.

The adjacent time helium held his archetypal quality conference, erstwhile helium spoke of United's "fantastic past and precocious potential".

By the clip helium near for his household vacation successful Ibiza, each infinitesimal of each pre-season grooming league had been planned.

"A large happening wrong the squad is the power helium takes and the rules helium sets out," defender Luke Shaw told BBC Sport. "Everyone has to travel them. If you are not doing what helium wants you won't play, it doesn't substance who you are."

During the pre-season travel to Australia, young guardant Alejandro Garnacho was precocious for a meeting. He didn't play a lucifer connected the remainder of the tour.

Ten Hag's determination to driblet Marcus Rashford for the travel to Wolves connected New Year's Eve for "disciplinary reasons", made bigger headlines. Rashford scored the victor astatine Molineux aft coming connected arsenic a substitute. He said afterwards helium understood the decision. Ten Hag had made his point.

"Rashy was connected occurrence astatine that constituent - and inactive is," says Shaw. "It conscionable shows what the manager is similar by dropping 1 of our champion players. It shows the standards helium sets and what you tin expect if you don't travel them."

In the mediate of the Garnacho and Rashford events was the Cristiano Ronaldo saga.

Ten Hag archetypal rebuked the Portuguese superstar for leaving Old Trafford consecutive aft helium had been substituted astatine half-time during a pre-season quality against Rayo Vallecano.

When Ronaldo refused to travel connected arsenic a precocious substitute during the location crippled against Tottenham connected 19 October and stormed retired of the stadium successful disgust, Ten Hag responded by axing him from his squad to play Chelsea the pursuing weekend.

There person been times successful the past wherever United sided with players successful idiosyncratic disputes with managers. Not now. Ten Hag has 100% state to woody with squad issues precisely arsenic helium wishes.

Within days of Ronaldo criticising Ten Hag successful his explosive interrogation with Piers Morgan, he was booted retired of the club.

In that sense, Ten Hag is simply a throwback to the Ferguson era.

'It means everything'

He is besides a precise modern coach. Be it the precocious press, controlling possession oregon pushing full-backs precocious up the pitch, Ten Hag, arsenic you would expect from idiosyncratic who learned from Pep Guardiola astatine Bayern Munich, has brought caller ideas to Old Trafford.

"The manager wants america to beryllium a possession-based team," said Shaw. "We enactment a batch successful grooming connected tactical stuff, connected what helium wants erstwhile we are successful possession and what benignant of movements helium wants from everyone. He wants america to beryllium a pressing team, precise assertive and, astatine times, precise hard to play against."

He has besides made immoderate bold tactical decisions. One of them was utilizing striker Wout Weghorst arsenic a fig 10 to let Rashford much state to endanger the opponents' goal. Another was picking Shaw arsenic a centre-half.

Speak to elder figures astatine Old Trafford and they volition archer you determination is inactive tons to do. Ten Hag had been recruited to execute a semipermanent plan.

Whether it is down to Ten Hag is not wholly wide but determination person been nary celebratory dressing country antics posted connected societal media during the existent run. The absorption is ever directed connected the adjacent game.

Win oregon suffer against Newcastle, United consciousness similar a nine moving guardant successful a mode not seen since Ferguson stood down successful 2013.

"From the extracurricular if decidedly looks similar that but I deliberation besides from the inside, being present truthful long, it feels similar that too," said Shaw.

But it is besides accepted that a trophy tin corroborate perceived progress.

Standing astatine Wembley arsenic the archetypal United manager to triumph a trophy since Jose Mourinho lifted the Europa League against Ajax successful 2017 would beryllium thing to celebrate.

"For the presumption we person been successful implicit the past years and the feeling we person wrong the dressing room, it means everything," said Shaw.

"It has been specified a agelong clip since we person won a trophy. People volition accidental it is the Carabao Cup but for us, it is massive.

"It is thing we person been aiming for a agelong time; to get that winning feeling back, that feeling of winning trophies."

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