Erik ten Hag is succeeding where Solskjær failed with Manchester United’s youngsters

Manchester United, as both a team and a club, seem to some extent unrecognisable under Erik ten Hag from the side that Ole Gunnar Solskjær managed a year and a half ago.

When Manchester United dismissed Ole Gunnar Solskjær in November of 2021 after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to then-Premier League team Watford, the whole club seemed broken.

The rest of that season saw Ralf Rangnick take charge as an interim manager, with Cristiano Ronaldo repeatedly hauling the club from the brink of defeat and scoring 24 goals that season in order to make sure that United finished 6th place and qualify for the Europa League.

Solskjær’s reign at Manchester United did, however, reinstall some significant statutes that had seemingly been lost at the club over the years prior to his appointment – the Norweigan’s team was a side bustling with young and fantastic talent, with players such as Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and then-Mason Greenwood being allowed to flourish under his guidance.

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Solskjær’s approach to developing young players was very much ‘throw them in the deep end and see what they can do’.

This is why Solskjær handed debuts to 16 teenagers during his time at the club, including names such as Amad, Brandon Williams, and Shole Shoretire.

This approach certainly seemed to have short-term fantastic effects. Greenwood, in his first full season, scored 17 goals playing both as a striker and on the right wing, while Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial enjoyed very successful campaigns.

Players such as Williams and Axel Tuanzebe had some notable performances too, although they are perfect examples of where Solskjær went wrong – although they started well, letting them play from day one meant that it got to a point where the players either lost their hunger or became burnt out, which resulted in injury

Under Ten Hag, the approach to how young players are handled has been completely revolutionised, with two examples in Amad and Alejandro Garnacho, the club’s two brightest future prospects, showing exactly why Ten Hag’s new approach is far superior.

In the case of Garnacho, the teenager has been nothing short of a sensation at Old Trafford this season. He has impacted fixtures time and time again off the bench, scoring five goals and providing five assists in his debut season, including winning goals against Fulham and Real Sociedad and assisting winning goals against the likes of Manchester City.

What the Dutchman has done, rather brilliantly, is purposefully restricted Garnacho’s game time. This has created two key dynamics: Firstly, it teaches Garnacho that in order to keep making appearances, he must continue to work hard – just because he gets time on the pitch does not mean he has ‘made it’. Secondly, it significantly reduces his chances of long-term injury, meaning further down the line he will not suffer from major problems.

Granted, Garnacho did have to spend around a month on the treatment table recently due to an impact injury on his ankle, however, his restricted game-time has meant this injury was not worsened by any aspects of wear and tear, and his recent displays from the bench show he has quickly got himself back to full fitness.

In the case of Amad, this shows just how important picking the right club for a loan move boosts the player’s chances of succeeding.

Under Solskjaer, Amad was given some game time, scoring against AC Milan and having a few cameo appearances before being sent on loan to Rangers for the second half of the season in January 2022.

Despite scoring on his debut and a further few goals after, the Rangers loan was ultimately not a success as the fans were happy to see him go, claiming he could be too selfish on the ball and did not suit their game style. The loan choice itself was also rather baffling, considering the fact that Rangers were in the middle of a title against Celtic, so would not have had the opportunity to grant him many chances.

When selecting where Amad should go next, Erik ten Hag made sure to thoroughly assess his options before selecting a preferred destination… and wow has it paid off.

The club made sure to analyse the style of Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray and his plans for Amad before selecting Sunderland, with Amad finishing this season as one of the best young players in the Championship, scoring 14 goals and providing four assists across all competitions.

Further to this, Amad has been allowed to explore where he feels most comfortable on the pitch, which has not been solely as a traditional winger on the right-hand side like many expected, but instead Amad has been allowed to create himself a more niche role operating both on the right and as a midfielder in the centre.

This, therefore, allowed Amad to show off his comfortability in multiple roles in a way that would not have been possible had a different loan destination been chosen.

Amad will likely join the squad for the FA Cup final trip in two weeks’ time, not as a player but just so he can continue to feel a part of Erik ten Hag’s team as he begins his reintegration into United.

This loan procedure will also no doubt have a positive effect on other youngsters in the squad such as Facundo Pellistri, who will likely spend next season on loan at a destination that has been hand-picked for him to thrive in.

The difference in how young players are handled under Erik ten Hag compared to under Ole Gunnar Solskjær shows that Ten Hag is succeeding where Solskjær failed, and will have positive effects for years to come if the players who experience this new system establish themselves among United’s first team squad in the next decade.