The decision to remove the captaincy from Harry Maguire follows the pattern of ruthless moves by Erik ten Hag as he tries to manage change at Manchester United. We analyse his approach as key figures from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side depart...
Tuesday 18 July 2023 06:31, UK
Erik ten Hag’s decision to remove Harry Maguire as Manchester United’s captain is just his latest big call. Cristiano Ronaldo did not last long. David De Gea, the club’s long-serving goalkeeper, is gone too. He has been ruthless in managing change.
"There is nothing more difficult, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." That quote belongs to infamous diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli. Ten Hag has had to play some politics of his own.
They say that the secret of change is not to focus energy on fighting the old but building the new. He has had to do both, constructing his new idea while removing the pillars of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United. No wonder Ralf Rangnick said it would take six years to achieve it.
In doing so, he has been criticised from all sides. It would have been a bigger statement to move any or all of these players on immediately upon his arrival. Instead, he has waited for the right moment, aware of the need to deliver results as well as change.
Allowing events to play out as they did divided opinion. "I do not think it has been great management," said former captain Roy Keane of the Ronaldo affair. In referring to the decision to allow De Gea to leave without a proper farewell, Rio Ferdinand, another ex-skipper, declared himself "gutted with how the club have handled this".
Inevitably, there will be sympathy for Maguire in losing the captaincy too. But Ten Hag deserves credit for this tightrope walk.
He has been ruthless but he has been patient. Those two qualities are far from synonymous but the pace of change feels well judged.
Doing it quicker would have been risky.
Doing it slower would have undermined his principles.
None of these players were well suited to his vision. But they were the biggest earners at the club. One was the captain. The others were genuine United legends, the two men to have won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award more than anyone else.
His approach with Ronaldo set the tone.
The veteran forward was neither willing nor able to execute Ten Hag's favoured style. "For me, pressing is an important factor. What I demand from my team is that they press." The Dutchman would have been aware of the collision course from the outset.
Outwardly, that was not obvious. "I am looking forward to working with him," he said, initially. "Cristiano is not for sale. He is in our plans. We want success together." Later, he added: "We are happy with him. He will fit in every system or every style."
He did not. Ten Hag surely knew it but Ronaldo was ushered towards the exit rather than shoved. At the point of his final appearance for the club, the Portuguese had actually started nine of the previous 13 games. Ronaldo was still outraged. Others less so.
De Gea's departure has been less incendiary but the pattern has been familiar. "I am really happy with David, he is a great goalkeeper. He is only 31, he is fit, he can progress even more, he was already impressive for Man United and will be in the future as well."
Those comments came in November, even after De Gea had demonstrated difficulty in adapting to the new demands. Ten Hag continued to maintain that his goalkeeper would stay, although the language did shift. "I will not say he will always be my No 1."
Ten Hag recognised that it was too complicated to change his goalkeeper immediately, priorities lying elsewhere.
De Gea was good enough to win games. But the coach will have been aware that Andre Onana is a better fit because of his superior skill with the ball at his feet, essential for the build-up game that Ten Hag would like to implement. It was the right time to make a change.
With Maguire, it has been similarly delicate. Stripping him of the captaincy straight away would have been provocative. Now, it can be seen as pragmatic, a natural consequence of his declining importance, perhaps United's fourth or fifth choice centre-back.
Maguire can be a dominant defensive figure but he struggles to move the ball quickly and his lack of pace is a problem when trying to play with a higher line. Even his manager's preference for a left-footer on the left side of defence presented a challenge.
Again, Ten Hag's words are open to interpretation. "Let us say I am happy he is here and when we needed him he did his job," he said at the end of last season. "But it is also a decision he has to make." Another awkward situation is reaching its conclusion.
The next step could be the most interesting.
Ten Hag had to do all this while achieving the results that would ensure buy in from players and supporters, convincing them that progress was being made. The club's six-year wait for a trophy was brought to an end. Champions League qualification was achieved.
Now, this United side more clearly resembles a construct of his own making. Onana is the third of his former Ajax players to join him at Old Trafford. Two more former Eredivisie players have come in too. There is no denying his influence on recruitment.
That brings its own pressure. Progress is never linear but this backing brings expectation. Ten Hag has been trusted to implement this change, this new order of things. It has been deftly done, the balance struck. But the legacies of Ronaldo and De Gea are secure.
It is what follows that will decide the legacy of Erik ten Hag.
