Rio Ferdinand believes it is vital Erik ten Hag changes the 'culture' at Manchester United when he arrives at the club.
United fulfilled their aim of hiring their next permanent manager before the end of the season this week as they confirmed the appointment of Ajax coach Ten Hag. The 52-year-old has signed a three-year deal at Old Trafford with the option of a further 12 months.
The Dutchman will have a big task on his hands as he will be inheriting a squad that has had yet another disastrous season, has a weak mentality and is in need of major rebuilding. At least six players are expected to leave on free transfers when their contracts expire and the futures of several others, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford, remain in doubt.
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Ahead of United's pivotal match with Arsenal on Saturday, Ferdinand has assessed the problems that Ten Hag will have to deal with when he takes charge in the summer.
"You talk about the six points, and the main one is the culture," he said on BT Sport. "I have spoken about it for months.
"Recruitment is obvious, how many have come in and you have said, it is a perfect match? We have not said that often enough with Manchester United and that needs to improve going forward.
"Ralf Rangnick has been here and been really honest, but is he elevating his fingerprints on the club to take the pressure off him with what is happening with results at the football club. Coming to a football club and not knowing how they play is obviously a recipe for disaster. As a manager, you have to get those players that don’t run around to move around.
" We are seeing people like Thiago at Liverpool that have had to adapt to the Premier League and it is working. I believe the message from above has to be trust in youth. All through those years with Sir Alex (Ferguson), he believed in youth and the manager needs to be given time with youth.
"I am confident that the work is being done behind the scenes and that the manager is going to be given time. You can’t have a club buying and recruiting players that the manager does not know about. Recruitment has been the main problem for Manchester United in recent years."
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