One of Erik ten Hag's biggest achievements since arriving at Manchester United has been the change of mentality that he has overseen.
Accusations have been aimed at United players regarding their lack of desire to play for the shirt and questions regarding their training have also been levelled at them on numerous occasions since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. However in pre-season, Ten Hag set his stall out early and showed exactly what he expected from his players.
Speaking during the first few weeks of the Dutchman's reign, David de Gea explained how tough the former Ajax manager was making him and his teammates work. "I think the whole team is working very hard," the goalkeeper explained.
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"They are very intense sessions with the manager, he knows very clearly what he wants for the team and there is a lot of information at the beginning, as I said, but with the time here [on tour] we are getting the right messages so I think it’s great. It’s very intense training and everyone is focused on football and I feel that I have seen great, great things."
Setting out this strong stance early has seen a positive impact since. Now, while a number of their United teammates are in Qatar for the World Cup, both Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho are showing that they have bought into Ten Hag's philosophy.
Sancho will have been disappointed with failing to make England's World Cup squad and his decision to leave social media to concentrate on his family and to rediscover his form should be applauded. Jetting off to the Netherlands to undergo extra training is also a commendable step which shows he is eager to develop his game.
It would be easy for 18-year-old Garnacho to rest on his laurels after exploding onto the scene in recent weeks. His late winner against Fulham has caught the world's attention but instead of sitting back he has been in Madrid this past week undergoing fitness training in order to improve himself further.
Both men have shown with their actions how much they wish to impress while United are not in action. While they should be praised, Ten Hag's fresh approach is the catalyst behind this change of mindset in the Reds' squad.
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