"Everyone's seeing the benefits from that" - Paul Scholes heaps praises on Erik ten Hag's 'no nonsense' approach at Manchester United
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has shared his thoughts on manager Erik ten Hag's first season in charge of the Red Devils.
Ten Hag joined the club last summer after United had accumulated their worst-ever Premier League points tally (58) as they finished sixth. He has, however, done really well as Manchester United finished third in the table in the 2022-23 season.
The Dutchman also led the club to their first silverware since 2017, as they won the Carabao Cup. The Red Devils also reached the FA Cup final and the UEFA Europa League quarterfinals.
Scholes recently assessed Manchester United's 2022-23 season in an interview with the club's website. He praised last summer's signings, with the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro bringing in their experience and leadership in the group.
"I think for two or three years at least, this team’s been accused of lacking leaders," Scholes said. "I think there's a few leaders in the team. When you think of the experience of Casemiro, Martinez is a great character and got personality and his experience. And I think that's all changed around a little bit."
"They've got a belief in them as well. I don't think, you know, they don't dominate games as much as they probably like to, but they’ve found a way to win and that's the most important thing," he added.
Scholes then praised Erik ten Hag's "no nonsense" attitude:
"He's just no nonsense. I think, in the past, the players at this club have probably played the way they want to rather than the way the manager wants to. I think he’s totally turned that around. The players do what their manager wants, they stick to what he wants off the pitch, on the pitch, and I think everyone's seeing the benefits from that."
Ten Hag registered the most number of wins (42) for a debutant Manchester United manager in the 2022-23 season.
Assessing Manchester United's 2022-23 campaign
After an abysmal 2021-22 campaign, the Red Devils were expected to bounce back. However, the new season began poorly as they lost 2-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion and 4-0 against Brentford. They then beat rivals Liverpool 2-1 at home to begin their turnaround.
Manchester United lost 6-3 against Manchester City and 7-0 against Liverpool in the 2022-23 campaign. Despite such embarrassing results, however, they did well to finish third in the Premier League table.
They also beat Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League playoffs in what was a big boost to their confidence. However, they lost against eventual winners Sevilla in the quarterfinals.
Manchester United beat Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final to lift their first trophy since 2017. They also came close to winning the FA Cup but lost against city rivals Manchester City.
Marcus Rashford was the club's top scorer with 30 goals across competitions, while Bruno Fernandes topped the assists chart with 13 assists. David de Gea, meanwhile, won the Premier League Golden Glove award with 17 clean sheets.