Man United are showing Alex Ferguson traits under Erik ten Hag

It was high praise indeed but came from someone who should know.

Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel compared what he is witnessing at the club under Erik ten Hag at the moment to the halcyon days he knew under Sir Alex Ferguson.

It came after United overcame Barcelona in a thrilling Europa League tie, a victory that represents a significant milestone in Ten Hag’s revival of this grand club.

‘It has taken 10 years to get to this point. For me, this season, anything really can happen,’ Schmeichel said on BBC Radio 5 Live after Thursday’s win.

‘Manchester United can win everything or nothing but we have seen the progress. Every situation has been dealt with properly by Erik ten Hag, like a good manager should.

‘Like vintage Sir Alex Ferguson… I am sitting here thinking, ‘Wow, we have got the right man.’

Given Schmeichel played for eight hugely successful seasons under the great Scot at United, it was a comment that made you stop and think.

But does he have a point? Well, even though it remains early days under Ten Hag there are definitely echoes of Ferguson in the present United side and the manager’s methods.

In the decade since Ferguson retired, there have been false dawns under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and even the odd cup success.

Schmeichel is right to suggest it feels different – more concrete – under Ten Hag and victory in this Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Newcastle would only enhance that.

It’s heart-warming for United fans to see the way 81-year-old Ferguson celebrated Antony’s winner against Barcelona in the stands.

Likewise the way Ten Hag has embraced United’s rich history since he arrived – not seeing it was a burden – and even had dinner with Ferguson ahead of the most important week of his tenure so far.

But equally, we saw the Fergie fist pump alongside Solskjaer and Eric Cantona after United’s dramatic Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 – and that didn’t lead to a spell of success.

So is Schmeichel right to make the comparison between Ferguson and Ten Hag now? Sportsmail breaks down all the key attributes of the legendary Scot to determine if the Dutchman is worthy of such praise.

HALLMARKS OF UNITED’S PLAY

How would you sum up United’s brand of football during the Ferguson years in just a few words? Fast, daring, direct on the counter-attack, never losing belief when behind, ruthless in always looking for one more goal.

Watching United at the minute – especially over the two legs against Barcelona – and you conclude that Ten Hag has ticked a lot of those boxes.

Instead of being daunted by Barcelona’s love of possession, United embraced the need to play at pace on the counter and it played to their strengths.

In both legs, they fell a goal behind but you never felt they were out of contention and so it proved.

Ten Hag’s team aren’t super-prolific yet but are getting there with Marcus Rashford in world-beating form and good quality creators supporting him.

He is remaining true to United’s values in terms of style of play and the winning mentality instilled in the players.

Ten Hag is potentially adding things that weren’t in vogue in Ferguson’s era, too, such as pressing opponents to force mistakes.

United pressed from the front on Thursday night, with Wout Weghorst essentially deployed to try and cut off Barcelona attacks at source, and Fred buzzing around being a nuisance.

Ideally, Ten Hag would have wanted his team to enjoy more than 42 per cent of possession but there is a difference between facing Barcelona and most other teams. So United adapted to meet the challenge.

It’s worth pointing out that Solskjaer, who obviously also played under Ferguson and absorbed his methods, tried to turn United into a counter-attacking force during his spell as manager.

His tenure got off to a rip-roaring success but over time it became apparent the presence of a few quick forwards couldn’t mask a lack of backbone in the team.

Another area where Ten Hag has sought to imitate Fergie is by having strong leaders in the dressing room.

The additions of Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez, plus Bruno Fernandes taking the captaincy, have given United a strong spine again and a bit about them.

Ferguson had the likes of Roy Keane, Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Steve Bruce, Jaap Stam, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to lead the team on and off the pitch.

Finally, after a decade of drift and decline at Old Trafford, we are seeing some heirs apparent.

IN-GAME DECISIONS

United’s win on Thursday night was all the more remarkable because Ten Hag got his game plan completely wrong.

Lining up with Jadon Sancho in the No 10 role, Bruno Fernandes on the right and Wout Weghorst up top backfired on the United manager as they were stifled during the first-half.

But Ten Hag acknowledged the error, removed Weghorst (who had just 12 touches of the ball) for Antony at half-time, switched everyone into their more conventional roles and reaped the rewards.

Maybe had Fernandes not conceded the penalty from which Robert Lewandowski fired Barcelona ahead and the sides gone in goalless at half-time, things may have stayed as they were.

But it’s unlikely. Ten Hag is a master at spotting where adjustments are needed and doesn’t hesitate to act, even if it means hooking an under-performing player in a ruthless fashion.

This is vindicated by United’s 19 goals scored by substitutes so far this season – more than anyone else in Europe top five leagues. 

His assistant Steve McClaren, who was Ten Hag’s boss at FC Twente, spoke about this quality to The Athletic: ‘He could see things in the game that nobody else could see, myself included.

‘I have to sit up in the stands to see the patterns of a game, but he could stand on the touchline [and spot them]. He always knew the answer to everything, how to change shape, change positions.

‘His adjustments in the games – obviously I had worked with Sir Alex and I used to think that some of his subs and changes were strange, but they always worked. Erik is the same in that respect.’

McClaren, who was No 2 to Ferguson during the 1999 Treble win, is certainly well-placed to make such a comparison.

The great manager certainly wasn’t afraid to haul off a player who wasn’t following his instructions to the letter and it was that ability to make tactical tweaks in the heat of a game that empowered United to come from behind and win so many games.

It helped that Ferguson often had a greater depth of quality in his squad than Ten Hag currently has.

The Dutchman always knew it would take several transfer windows to restock United to the levels necessary to challenge for the elite honours.

In a year or two, United should have top quality options in every position. For now, Ten Hag has been deploying stop-gaps and quick fixes such as Burnley loanee Weghorst.

It explains why he has tried not to deviate too far from his strongest XI regardless of the competition this season.

Scratch below the surface when there’s injuries or suspensions and the cupboard is quite bare. Just look at the panic when Casemiro was suspended after his red card against Crystal Palace.

If United hadn’t found their goal through Antony when they did, or fallen behind again, Ten Hag would have been left with youngsters Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri to throw on.

Ferguson was an expert at making every member of his extended squad feel valued, explaining they wouldn’t necessarily start the next game but should be ready for the one after.

He was able to rotate successfully because he had plenty of quality at his disposal. Ten Hag doesn’t have that yet but they’ll get there with more smart recruitment.

TRANSFER BUSINESS

And it’s fair to conclude that Ten Hag’s additions in his first summer have been pretty good.

Casemiro may be 31 and £70million but he’s been worth every penny since joining from Real Madrid. The Brazilian is outstanding positionally and at winning the ball, plus he can play a pass.

Ten Hag did his homework and understood United had urgently needed a quality defensive midfielder for about three years.

Casemiro wasn’t his first choice but has proved an inspired buy, adding so much to United.

Martinez was well known to Ten Hag from Ajax and the Argentine’s warrior qualities in defence have certainly come in handy.

He has formed a solid partnership with Raphael Varane and it’s mad now to think how he was written off for being too small when he arrived in England.

You only had to look at his repeated headed clearances as Barcelona pushed forward late on.

Christian Eriksen had performed well in midfield prior to his injury blow, complimenting Casemiro well. Tyrell Malacia has been solid enough.

The jury had been out on Antony, who was certainly expensive at £83m, but his intervention on Thursday night perhaps showed why Ten Hag was so insistent United went the extra mile to bring him from Ajax.

Even the loan signing of Marcel Sabitzer in January, essentially an emergency move after Eriksen’s injury, has shown early promise.

After several years of scattergun recruitment under Ten Hag’s predecessors – which hit a nadir with Alexis Sanchez – United have finally wised up in the market.

Nobody could claim Ferguson got every single signing spot on – there were always likely to be some howlers over the course of nearly 27 years – but his quality was knowing when it was time for a refresh.

Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis were all famously sold in 1995 to make way for the Class of 92. Ferguson was ridiculed but he knew the core of United’s team for the next decade was emerging.

Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Keane and even Cristiano Ronaldo were among other stars moved on when the manager felt the time was right. The key was for things not to become stale or to tolerate standards slipping.

Time will tell if Ten Hag acts in the same way.

AUTHORITY

Ferguson famously ruled Old Trafford with an iron fist, taking no challenges to his authority.

If his young players went for a night out, his ‘spies’ around town would ensure he was informed. If someone stepped out of line, they’d be dropped, or even sold.

When it emerged Wayne Rooney was going to be earning more than his manager, Ferguson spoke to the board and ensured he received a pay rise to preserve his authority.

There are definitely similar traits in Ten Hag, who is a man with the courage of his convictions.

Even just a few months into his tenure, he’s faced serious tests of his control over the dressing room. In each instance, the manager and his team has emerged the stronger.

Ten Hag has laid the ground rules and exerted his authority in a way Solskjaer – and even Mourinho – were unable to. Interim coach Ralf Rangnick struggled to get any of the players to go along with his methods last season.

The signs were there even during United’s pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia when the new manager left out Alejandro Garnacho for reporting late to team meetings and cancelled a trip to the set of Neighbours because it was an unnecessary distraction.

After United opened their Premier League campaign with dismal defeats to Brighton and then Brentford, the latter a 4-0 drubbing, Ten Hag dropped captain Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo to the bench. The result was a hard-fought win over Liverpool.

His handling of the potentially toxic Ronaldo situation after his highly-critical interview with Piers Morgan was certainly Ferguson-esque.

Ronaldo is one of the most famous footballers in the world and was United’s leading goalscorer by some distance in 2021-22. Ten Hag didn’t shirk the fight.

He believed his United team would be better off without him and he’s been proven emphatically correct. Had Ten Hag backed down and allowed Ronaldo more regular football, it would have been to the collective detriment.

Even when the in-form Rashford overslept and arrived late for a team meeting ahead of the Wolves game just after Christmas, Ten Hag had no problem with dropping him.

Rashford would ultimately come off the bench to score the winner at Molineux, made a bashful confession afterwards, got back in Ten Hag’s good books and a line was drawn under the matter.

As Fernandes told Rio Ferdinand this week: ‘Marcus did something wrong, and the manager just put him out and everyone was like ‘wow’.

‘I was sitting with David [De Gea], and I said ‘this has to be like this’ because if not, the younger ones will think, ‘if he does nothing to him, next one he will do nothing to me too.’

It isn’t just matters of discipline. Ten Hag’s handling of Sancho looks to have been very good. The manager realised the winger was struggling mentally and, as a result, with his game.

He recommended individual coaching sessions in Holland during the World Cup and a slow re-integration into the team.

It remains to be seen whether Sancho can fire United to silverware during the second-half of the season but early evidence is that a lot of his confidence has been restored.

So Ten Hag has shown admirable man-management skills, and successfully faced down tests of his mettle.

THE MESSAGE

Sportsmail’s exclusive that Ten Hag scoffed at the prospect of holding an open-top bus parade if they win the Carabao Cup this weekend was reassuring to United fans.

Can you imagine Ferguson’s red-faced reaction if someone had suggested a public celebration for such a relatively minor honour during his days?

Ten Hag has said United need to win at least two trophies to justify a parade this season – which can be taken as an indication of his desire to raise standards.

Ferguson demanded hunger from all of his players to win the top prizes. Ahead of every season, he would look them all directly in the eye and gauge how much they wanted to win.

Ten Hag was asked recently if he felt his improved team were getting enough credit.

‘It’s not about credit, it’s about trophies,’ he replied, straight out of Fergie’s playbook.

For too long in the past decade, a top four finish or reaching a semi-final was deemed good enough but Ten Hag enjoyed success with Ajax and wants to restore it to United.

He is always insisting that ‘the next match is the most important’. It’s a managerial cliche but sensible with United fighting on multiple fronts.

There’s no point allowing minds to drift to Sunday’s Wembley final when Barcelona have to be overcome first.

Ten Hag hasn’t deployed the Ferguson ‘mind games’ quite yet but perhaps there will be odd comment if United remain in the title race against Arsenal and Manchester City.

His positive win-at-all-costs message is one United fans haven’t heard for some time. Ten Hag knows he will be judged on the silverware he delivers.