No one can accuse Erik ten Hag of not having guts.
In his short six months at Manchester United he has won a game of chicken with the biggest ego in the game, hardly played the captain of the club, put his reputation on the line in signing the players he wants, repeatedly picked risky starting XIs with players out of position and if nothing else he took the job in the first place! Becoming the captain of a sinking ship in your first big career move could have been a death sentence.
But Ten Hag has plugged the holes, bailed out the water, steered into smoother tides and finally, after 10 long years, got United heading in the right direction once again.
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Ten Hag has repeatedly made bold and high-risk decisions but practically every single one has worked a treat. United have been exponentially better without Cristiano Ronaldo sulking about the place, every signing has had a positive impact and at times he has made Luke Shaw look like the second coming of Franz Beckenbauer.
Even when Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez have been available, Ten Hag has trusted Shaw to play in the heart of defence after the natural left-back told the manager he felt he could fill in there when options were depleted. He's done that and then some.
He has played there five times, kept three clean sheets and only conceded a Jack Grealish header he was nowhere near and a goal against Everton that was all on David de Gea. All five games were won.
The latest came on Sunday when United managed to finally get the better of Leeds United after a feisty doubleheader. It wasn't plain sailing, though. Ten Hag had named an unusually rotated team for the match, especially given the two sides had drawn four days earlier.
The big changes came in defence. Raphael Varane and Martinez both dropped to the bench with Harry Maguire and Tyrell Malacia slipping into the fold, bringing Shaw in to play alongside the captain. Given Martinez is suspended for Thursday's Europa League clash with Barcelona, he wasn't being saved for the game and it instead appears the manager was giving Malacia and Shaw some preparation time to line up alongside each other at the Camp Nou.
But after the match Ten Hag should consider changing that approach. United drastically missed Martinez's brave and incisive forward passing from the back and it led to their build-up play being stunted and slow. It was an uncharacteristically sluggish display until Martinez was introduced in the 61st minute.
There's nothing Ten Hag can do about being without Martinez in Spain but the other change which gave United added attacking impetus was moving Shaw back to the left. For all of his surprising qualities at centre-back, Shaw's skills are much better utilised on the flanks where he is able to push further forward and have an impact in the attacking third.
Malacia is a very good option and has no shortage of effort but he doesn't have the same quality in delivery as his counterpart. It showed when Shaw made a pinpoint cross for United to finally get the breakthrough as Marcus Rashford headed home.
United are better when Shaw is playing in his natural position and though Ten Hag may be tempted to play him at centre-back against Barcelona the way the trip to Elland Road played out should change that thinking. Coming up against Robert Lewandowski is certainly daunting but Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof should be trusted to partner Varane for just one outing.
Whatever decision the manager makes, it's bound to be interesting.
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