Man Utd must trust Erik ten Hag – but can he still trust all his players?

This is not Manchester United. The words Erik ten Hag uttered after the traumatic 7-0 defeat away to Liverpool will be used as a line in the sand by the shocked United manager.

This is not Manchester United. He repeated the theme on Monday as he spoke privately – and calmly – at the club’s Carrington training base about what now needs to happen within the squad to ensure this is a one-off.

The good news for United is that while the result, and the scale of the defeat, will go down in the record books and will obviously be used as a taunt for years to come, it does not actually feel as critical as the 4-0 loss away to Brentford in what was only Ten Hag’s second game in charge. Or even the 6-3 defeat at Manchester City.

After those two games it appeared United and Ten Hag were in crisis partly because there was a genuine fear that the former Ajax coach simply might not be up to the job. After Brentford the question was asked: will these players respond to him? After City the question was whether, tactically, he could cope.

Interestingly his response to both set-backs was to do something positive. There was the old-school run he sent the players on, to cover the gap in distance covered between them and Brentford, but – crucially – with Ten Hag joining in. That showed a collective responsibility and impressed the players.

After City, Ten Hag – finally – integrated Casemiro into his team after accepting he had shown too much loyalty to Scott McTominay. And we all know the difference the Brazilian international has made since then.

What can Ten Hag do now? Does he need to put another big marker down? Does he – for example – take the captaincy away from Bruno Fernandes? The reality is that would appear not just petty but pointless and would suggest a far bigger problem.

Ten Hag options are limited. United have a vital Europa League tie beginning at home to Real Betis on Thursday and at the very least there must be a response to the “unprofessional” debacle that unfolded at Anfield. If not then there really is fresh crisis for the club.

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United do not have the strength in depth and have too many games to play to make wholesale changes for the remainder of the campaign and Ten Hag needs no reminding that the starting XI against Liverpool was the same that was lauded following the Carabao Cup Final triumph against Newcastle United just seven days earlier as he brought home United’s first trophy for six years.

The flaying United received from former players, led by Roy Keane, following the Liverpool game was inevitable but it should also be remembered that this is the same Roy Keane who accused Ten Hag of being disrespectful in his handling of Cristiano Ronaldo and who, previously, steadfastly backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager.

The progress United have made on the pitch under Ten Hag – the attention to detail, the coaching acumen and fair but firm man-management – will mean that the club’s hierarchy are not shaken by what happened at Anfield in the way they were following the 9-0 aggregate defeats to Liverpool last season.

Then United were drowning and desperately in search of a life raft. Now that life raft has just been hit by a great big wave and they have to ensure that no permanent damage has been done and they do not continue to ship water.

The way Ten Hag dealt with Ronaldo will convince United that he is up to the scale of the task. The 53-year-old’s Dutchman’s professional approach – and it is key that he used the word “unprofessional” in criticising the United team on Sunday – left the pouting striker nowhere to go. So his contract was ripped up. If handled badly it could have been the end for Ten Hag. Instead he impressed the dressing room.

On a far lesser scale Ten Hag was sure-footed in punishing Marcus Rashford for sleeping in and missing a team meeting before the game away to Wolverhampton Wanderers – only for the striker to come on and score the only goal and then defuse a potential row with his own conciliatory comments. Ten Hag is blunt but not aggressive. There is no malice.

In a way Ten Hag has been lucky – the Rashford episode could have backfired; the Ronaldo one even more so. But he has also made his own luck with good decision-making – such as his conduct towards Harry Maguire who is clearly on his way out but has not been humiliated – even if he will curse that it deserted him against Liverpool.

The defeat should convince United even more to listen to Ten Hag

What that result should do, conversely, is empower Ten Hag even more. His one questionable transfer – and it is an issue – is the insistence that United spent £85million on Antony which was more than twice their original valuation for the Brazilian winger.

There were even those around Ten Hag who urged him to sign Cody Gakpo instead, who would have cost less than half the price. Then when the manager did want the Dutch forward there was no money left in the budget for the January window. And we all saw what Gakpo did to United even if he has not yet played consistently well for Liverpool.

As ever a big summer looms for United. But it appears to be, through Uefa’s new Financial Sustainability rules and the £307million outstanding on transfer fees, one where they will have to sell before they can buy – although that might change, of course, should there be new owners.

Ten Hag is fully aware of this and the importance of ensuring Champions League qualification and has made clear his priorities which are primarily a striker and a midfielder. What the Liverpool defeat should do, however, is convince United even more that they have to listen to him and back him. He has earned that. Some of the players, though, have lost that trust.