How Erik ten Hag has turned Man United’s season around: Patience paying off with Andre Onana, a balanced front three is unlocking Rasmus Hojlund’s potential… and super-sub Scott McTominay is thriving in a new role

Dropping to eighth in the Premier League after a 2-0 defeat at West Ham just before Christmas, fingers were being pointed and questions were being asked about Erik ten Hag.  

United had, on that day, officially lost more games than they had won in all competitions and this was quickly turning into a season to forget.

But what has followed has been a drastic turnaround which has seen United put a run together which has Rasmus Hojlund as the in-form striker in the league, Scott McTominay thriving in a new bench role, and Diogo Dalot looking a player transformed at right back. 

It is now United with all the momentum in the race for the top four, not Aston Villa, who they beat 2-1 on Sunday, as it was for a while. 

Mail Sport picks out five things Ten Hag has done to help turn United’s ailing season on its head… 

Erik ten Hag (middle) deserves credit for tweaks he has made to turn Man United’s form around

PATIENCE PAID OFF WITH ONANA

Credit to Ten Hag for sticking with Onana when it would have been so easy to bow to fan pressure and drop the Cameroonian shot-stopper.

After a disastrous 3-3 draw at Galatasaray in the Champions League in December – where Onana was blamed for all three goals – calls were deafening for Ten Hag to accept he had made a mistake signing Onana and to instead turn to Altay Bayindir or Tom Heaton. 

‘Players always need trust,’ Ten Hag said. ‘After Alisson, he is the best stopper in the league for preventing expected goals. So then you deserve to play. 

‘He has the potential, so we have to work on him so that he does it consistently. We will work with him and we will support him. The manager, coaches and players all support him.’

Asked if he has considered dropping Onana, he replied: ‘It won’t help him. Nobody is undroppable, that is also clear. But we have a strong belief that he will help us win trophies.’

Ten Hag has long since stood with Andre Onana (right) and that patience has now paid off

Onana made crucial saves in United’s win over Villa, including to deny Ollie Watkins in the first half

Now, vindication. 

At Aston Villa, Onana was as key to the victory as matchwinner Scott McTominay, or first goalscorer Rasmus Hojlund. 

Onana made eight saves in total, five of which came from inside the box. There were two point-blank saves to deny Ollie Watkins which deserved more headlines. 

‘We created chances but we weren’t clinical,’ a deflated Unai Emery said of his Villa team. ‘Their goalkeeper played a fantastic match and we lost a very good opportunity.’

A shot-stopper that also performs the sweeper-keeper role Ten Hag craves in his teams. With seven clean sheets – second in the league only behind Jordan Pickford at Everton – don’t rule a Golden Glove out yet.  

FRONT THREE GETS BEST OUT OF HOJLUND

No player has scored more Premier League goals since Christmas Day than Rasmus Hojlund. That’s no fluke. 

It may seem that way to some of United’s detractors, a player that has hit a purple patch and it will soon dry up.

But Ten Hag has now found a front three that can get the best out of his marquee £72million summer signing. 

Alejandro Garnacho has bought into his new role playing on the right wing, while Ten Hag brilliantly handled the disciplinary issue involving Marcus Rashford missing training after a boozy night out in Belfast. He has returned to the side with a new edge.

And that in turn, pure pace either side of him, has elevated Hojlund massively. 

United are incredibly short when it comes to centre forward – Anthony Martial is the only alternative to Hojlund and he isn’t up to par – and so so much onus has been placed onto the 21-year-old’s shoulders. 

Hojlund’s goal at Villa takes him to 11 goals for the campaign and while Ten Hag has, like he did with Onana, remained patient with his young striker, his willingness to put any stubbornness aside to bench £86m man Antony in a bid to unlock the Dane is paying off tenfold.  

Rasmus Hojlund’s goal away to Aston Villa made it five goals in a row in the Premier League

Stats show that, since Christmas, Hojlund has been receiving the ball inside the box far more

CASEMIRO/MAINOO IS TEACHER AND APPRENTICE 

Garnacho and Rashford have given United much more balance in attack, as Gary Neville put it over the weekend. 

But it would be remiss to overlook the huge impact on this team that the combination of Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo is having. 

Two players who are at very different stages of their careers – one is a five-time Champions League winner and the other is an 18-year-old Academy star – appear to have hit it off on and off the pitch. 

‘Casemiro is a very important player for our game, so we are happy he’s back and Kobbie Mainoo can learn a lot from that togetherness,’ Ten Hag ahead of facing Villa.

‘Kobbie is very coachable and Casemiro has so much experience and that can even accelerate his development. When they play together, I think they can benefit each other.

Casemiro (left) and Kobbie Mainoo (back) are gelling on and off the pitch which has helped

‘Casemiro has taken to him [Mainoo]. He’s talking to him. I see it in the dressing room. I see it on the pitch. In the training, also in games. Of course he’s looking at his own game, but he’s trying to help and to support.’

Mainoo is a real gem of a player and can play in both the No 6 and No 8 role – it was his flick to Dalot on the right flank to tee up McTominay for the winning goal at Villa. 

He has provided the energy that was lacking earlier in the campaign when Casemiro was alongside Sofyan Amrabat or Christian Eriksen, both of which are more methodical on the ball and possess different attributes to Mainoo. 

Mainoo and Casemiro is working for now but is also a sign Ten Hag is looking to the future. There are few better mentors for Mainoo than someone as accomplished as Casemiro.  

DALOT’S RENAISSANCE 

Rio Ferdinand was not alone in doubting whether Diogo Dalot would be able to cut it at Manchester United. 

‘I remember speaking to Cristiano Ronaldo and saying, “is he really going to be any good? and he said, “look Rio, he works hard. He’ll work, he’ll make himself better, he’ll improve, 100%,”‘ Ferdinand said on his FIVE podcast. 

Ronaldo got to see what many people outside the club don’t – Dalot works harder than most. 

Diogo Dalot (left) and Scott McTominay (right) are also seeing fruits of training ground labour

Course there are deficiencies to his game and course there remains room for improvement, but at Villa, and even more generally in recent weeks, the right back deserved his flowers. 

‘Everyone gets criticism but he is a fantastic player who is developing very well,’ Ten Hag told Match of the Day 2. 

‘He can play in so many positions and he is improving on crosses. He can score and his defending is improving so I am very pleased with him.’ 

When Aaron Wan-Bissaka is back to full fitness, he best not expect to walk straight back into this team.  

MCTOMINAY EMBRACES NEW ROLE 

‘I feel like as long as I’m fit and healthy I can come onto the pitch and perform,’ McTominay told Sky Sports. 

The Scot is a curious one, often deployed in a deeper role that hasn’t seemed to get the best out of him, he’s now emerged as a revelation from the bench to be United’s top scorer in the Premier League this season. 

For Ten Hag, having a legitimate game-changer on the bench – something that hasn’t always been a luxury available to him this season – is something to cherish. 

‘There are not many players who can come from the bench and bring this energy and contribute to the team,’ Ten Hag said.

‘Scott is an example for many other players, always giving the spirit and always doing the right things. 

‘He is ready for one minute or for minute 90, he is always ready. It is great to have such a player.’