There are plenty of issues Erik ten Hag must see to before a ball is kicked next season for Manchester United, but one message he must get through to his players stands out.
United suffered their worst season in Premier League history last time out and just scraped into the Europa League qualification places on the final day of the season.
Throughout the campaign both under the guidance of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his interim successor Ralf Rangnick, United were guilty of surrendering leads and promising positions at vital stages of games - something both Rio Ferdinand and Paul Scholes suggested was due to a lack of discipline from within the current crop of United stars.
Speaking in February on his own Five with Vibe podcast, Ferdinand said: "In every game you get a five minute spell or whatever it is, where the other team get hold of the game and you get penned back a little bit whether you like it or not.
"It's about having the balls to be able to get through that, the knowhow and I think a big part of that is discipline - I think that's where we lack compared to top teams."
Ferdinand went on to pinpoint United's players tendency to try and salvage games on their own rather than operating as a collective.
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"When those moments come you need a discipline within the team, to say "we stick together," in them situations, they end up becoming individuals more than ever and thinking "I can do this on my own, I've got to create a moment of craziness.
"Individual mistakes or bad decision making on individual parts is what's killing the team right now. Whether it's missing a chance, final ball delivery or defending a situation. Individuals are making mistakes in them areas."
The former United central-defender was echoing the sentiments of Scholes who said something similar just months prior after United were beaten away at Leicester.
"There was a couple of things really," Scholes claimed. "I think a lack of aggression in the team, more importantly a lack of discipline. I think Ole has produced and assembled a really top class group of players. Now, what he has to do with that is make them work hard and I don’t think they do."
Ten Hag's mission couldn't be clearer - though the ability of some can be called into question, almost all of the United squad were left wanting at some stage last season in terms of work ethic.
It is for that reason the Dutchman is reported to have already made clear his 'core principles' that all players must adhere to. According to The Times, a source close to the former Ajax boss has suggested that he demands high energy, attacking football with a consistent press.
This particular brand of football is going to need maximum effort from every player whenever Ten Hag hands them the chance. The ill-discipline cited by the two United legends cannot continue into next season.
