Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express.
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag has shown his inner Sir Alex Ferguson with four big decisions
EXCLUSIVE: Sir Alex Ferguson is still influencing life at Manchester United through Erik ten Hag.
Mason Mount slammed by former Man Utd star after poor start - 'Nowhere to be seen'
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has displayed a strong disciplinarian persona since arriving at the club last year in an attempt to raise standards and improve a broken culture. And former United star Lee Sharpe has drawn comparisons to legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson, whose era of dominance was followed by a decade of mediocrity.
Ten Hag has regularly insisted on the importance of discipline and following rules throughout his 18-month reign at Old Trafford.
And his players responded in his maiden season, lifting the Carabao Cup to end a six-year trophy drought that plagued the fanbase while rivals Manchester City and Liverpool relentlessly swept up silverware.
United simultaneously reached the FA Cup final just months later and finished third in the Premier League, sealing a Champions League return.
Ten Hag is enduring a rocky patch at the start of his second campaign, losing six of his opening 11 matches, including four in eight in the Premier League.
But he has stayed true to his philosophy amid the struggles, which has drawn similarities to the great Sir Alex.
Sharpe has claimed that the possession-based style that Ten Hag wants to implement at United couldn't be further from the way Sir Alex had his dominant side playing for over two decades.
However, he believes the pair have four key similarities in their style of management, which should only bode well for the future.
"When I compare Erik ten Hag to Sir Alex Ferguson, it isn't really the on-field style of play that I am talking about," Sharpe, an American Golf ambassador, told Express Sport.
"It was more the discipline, the rules, the strong-mindedness, the leader mentality.
"He plays a totally different style of football, a totally different brand of football, so you can't really compare his tactical team picking to Sir Alex Ferguson."
Ten Hag has already displayed his ruthless streak with four big-name players, an approach Sir Alex is bound to have approved of.
DON'T MISS
Andre Onana 'faces brutal Man Utd drop' after break as Ten Hag puts foot down [NEWS]
'I was one of Sir Alex's favourite players and now have sold out music tour' [FEATURE]
Man Utd fragility summed up by Casemiro gesture with future now uncertain [LATEST]
He first snubbed Alejandro Garnacho during United's 2022 pre-season tour after the teenage winger was late for two team meetings.
During the 2022/23 season, Cristiano Ronaldo was excluded from the travelling squad to face Chelsea after refusing to come on as a substitute in a 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur.
Marcus Rashford then felt Ten Hag's wrath after oversleeping, dropping to the bench for an away trip to Wolves before coming on and scoring the winning goal.
Most recently, Jadon Sancho defied his boss and paid the price. He has been exiled from the first team since the start of September for poor training levels and effectively calling Ten Hag a liar on social media.
United may be in the dumps on the pitch, but there is a strong belief that Ten Hag is laying the foundations of a long, successful reign.