Rio Ferdinand has urged new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag to create a "philosophy and identity" following a promising pre-season campaign.
The Red Devils recorded convincing wins against Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace during their tour of Thailand and Australia, with several players praising Ten Hag's methods. It was the Dutchman's first tour with the club since his appointment in April.
Ten Hag is under pressure to make United a force again following a dismal campaign. They finished sixth in the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his successor Ralf Rangnick last term and haven't won a trophy since their Europa League success in 2017.
Ferdinand has been impressed by Ten Hag's start, although he isn't getting carried away. Speaking to Mirror Football on behalf of BT Sport, the United legend insists his former employers are heading in the right direction but it's too early to judge them properly.
"I don't really look at results in pre-season," says Ferdinand. "I've played far too many games in pre-season and lost and it had no reflection on the coming season. I think it's more about the noises I'm hearing out of the training ground from the players, listening to individuals talk really positively... there seems to be a bit of a spring in their step now.
"You don't want to get too carried away, but it's positive to hear the messaging and direction in training… It seems like there's a lot more clarity and there's a better understanding of how they want to play. And they're enjoying it, most importantly.
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"And the discipline, I read an article about a player being dropped for a couple of games - completely from the squad - because of punctuality problems. Things like that are elements that I've been calling for and wanting to see in the last few years. At the moment, in pre-season when there's no pressure, it seems to be going quite well."
Although Ferdinand would like to see United return to the Champions League and end their trophy drought, he believes finding an identity is Ten Hag's priority. He also wants the Dutchman to be brave and put his own stamp on the club's illustrious history.
"Finding an identity they stick to and you go 'that's Manchester United' by the way they're playing [should be the target]," adds Ferdinand. "It doesn't have to be reflective of the years gone by, it's about [saying] 'that's Erik ten Hag's team - you can tell'. I want that first and foremost. I'd love to see that.
"And then consistency. Not good one week or average next week... a good level of consistency throughout the season would be great. If they can get their hands on a trophy, then great. I just want to see improvement.
"If Man Utd don't win a trophy this year but they really improve and you go 'woah, I can see a big difference now' - I'm happy with that because it's a step in the right direction. If they're much the same as what we've seen in the last couple of seasons and they win a trophy, I'm still going to be sceptical. I want the consistency, philosophy and identity of the team to be there, so long-term it looks better."
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