A long-term vision is the key to Alex Ferguson's lasting success in his 26-year reign filled with titles at Old Trafford. The former Scotland international has never hesitated to make big decisions, no matter how much he has contributed.
Ferguson is an expert in detecting the decline of stars. And while he describes it as the most difficult thing, he often gives the message in a cold way.
First is the removal of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals in 5 seasons. Ferguson also saw Roy Keane leave in mid-2006. Keane later admitted to sitting alone in the car and burst into tears.
Two years earlier, Ferguson broke David Beckham's heart when he announced he would be sold to Real Madrid. Beckham has recently admitted that he did not dare to watch Man United on television for 3 years after leaving the club to go to the Bernabeu in 2003.
Ten Hag has yet to make a cold decision like Ferguson, who boldly dropped four players.
First is the action against Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the great players and legends at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese striker refused to come on as a substitute in the match against Tottenham in October and left Old Trafford before the final whistle. Ten Hag then dropped him from the first team and did not include him in the squad for the match against Chelsea.
Ten Hag may have been tough on Ronaldo but brought him back to the national team just a week later. Ten Hag also did not punish Ronaldo when the Portuguese player left early in the pre-season friendly match against Rayo Vallecano.
In the end, Ronaldo and Man United went their separate ways after CR7's scandalous interview with Pires Morgan.
Ten Hag is ready to sit at the table negotiating with David de Gea. Former Ajax coach defended the Spaniard against criticism even after his serious mistakes against Sevilla and West Ham.
But De Gea's performance in the FA Cup final seemed to have Ten Hag rethinking. And Man United have withdrawn the Spanish goalkeeper's offer for a contract extension.
De Gea has been with Man United for a long time and has a certain voice on the pitch. But Ten Hag could see that his limitations held the team back and forced him to make a cruel decision.
Most recently, Ten Hag showed his power by taking captaincy from Harry Maguire. Similar to De Gea, Ten Hag rarely criticizes Maguire in public and always defends him.
The Dutchman could keep Maguire as the official captain with Bruno Fernandes as the captain in practice, like most of last season. However, that means Maguire's role does not reflect reality.
Ten Hag has also taken tough action against players who violate discipline. A typical example was the removal of Marcus Rashford from the starting lineup in the match against Wolves when the striker fell asleep and arrived at the team meeting late.
Seven months later, Rashford extended his contract and became Man United's highest-paid player. Ten Hag has played a key role in reviving Rashford's career after a dismal time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Ten Hag still shows his own personality but is tending to "ring up" like Ferguson. And that is a good sign for the future of Man United.
