Erik ten Hag emulated Sir Alex Ferguson in introducing Manchester United’s ‘fear factor’ with players reacting well to his handling of Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire’s struggles

Erik ten Hag has been hailed for bringing a “fear factor” to Manchester United since his summer appointment.

After a disappointing start to the season which saw defeats to Brighton and Brentford, the Red Devils have shown real improvement with United now sitting fifth in the table.

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Having lost just once in 10 league games since and qualifying for the next round of the Europa League with one game to spare, it’s clear United have developed a severe streak.

As well as putting in eye-catching displays, Ten Hag’s side proved they were capable of delivering results such as the 1-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford on Sunday night.

It was Marcus Rashford who won the game with his 100th goal for the club, with the Dutch head coach taking credit for helping the striker regain his form after a disappointing season last time out.

However, according to Darren Ambrose, Ten Hag deserves much more than that after taking control of Harry Maguire’s lack of form and Cristiano Ronaldo’s disciplinary issues, earning him the trust of United’s biggest stars.

Speaking on talkSPORT’s The Boot Room, Ambrose said: “Do you know what he did? He again created a fear factor in the manager.

“I don’t think Manchester United have had one for a long time since Sir Alex Ferguson. They tried it, Jose Mourinho tried it but it’s that fear factor and that comes from making all the right decisions, in my opinion.

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“He continued to have Harry Maguire as captain, rightly so, then he had a few bad games and he took him out of the team. He hadn’t come back until today where he looked magnificent.

“Luke Shaw, he took him out of the squad when he was unfit. The decision he made with Cristiano Ronaldo, it was the right choice and then brought him back into the team. crew.

“He brought that fear factor as a manager and the players responded very well to that.

“Now they know that no matter who you are or what you do, if you don’t do it or make bad decisions off the pitch, you’re out of the team.”

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Adebayo Akinfenwa agreed with Ambrose’s comments, saying: “Ambrose hit it, the fear factor is earned and it’s respect because Mourinho came in and it was a success. He had the name and people knew they had to do it his way, but Ten Hag came in and he earned respect and continued his actions.

“The players know, it doesn’t matter if you’re Ronaldo or Elanga, if you don’t play by his rules you’re going to go out and eventually you see it’s all about the team first.”