Old Trafford could drag Erik ten Hag down before he has a chance to turn Manchester United around

Erik ten Hag might have shown himself to be one of the most accomplished managers around in his time at Ajax, but Manchester United’s problems could easily overwhelm him.

Ten Hag has to be thankful for the work and support he was given by the figureheads at Ajax, in particular Edwin van der Sar during his time at the Amsterdam side. When a club’s infrastructure is built by figures with a working and positive relationship, then clearly it will be more effective than elsewhere. Compare that to life at Old Trafford.

Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have both succeeded elsewhere, and both of them are demanding figures. The Netherlands coach was reportedly promised Sergio Ramos only to be given Phil Jones and Chris Smalling. The Roma boss wanted Toby Alderweireld only to be given Phil Jones and Chris Smalling.

A transfer window of Fred, Lee Grant and Diogo Dalot was enough to get the Portuguese setting fire to the living room curtains as he realised he was wasting his time on Ed Woodward.

Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, there was little improvement. A trolly dash delivered Edinson Cavani and Donny van de Beek, two positions that the Norwegian had no interest in reinforcing but Woodward did not listen. Repeatedly he proved himself incapable of acting as a useful director of football, and then appointed John Murtough to take over that role when it was far, far too late.

Who is John Murtough? Darren Fletcher probably isn’t even sure.

That is a problem for Ten Hag. Looking at the tactics that the Dutchman will likely implement, it is worth wondering if Old Trafford won’t drag him down before he gets the chance to make sufficient improvements. He likes wingers, to keep possession, to attack aggressively and incisively. None of those things can be turned on easily with the players at his disposal.

On the wings there is only Jadon Sancho who is worthy of the name, and even he has struggled to deal with the rot around him. He can only play on one flank at any one time, so another player will need to be bought, while Juan Mata, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard are expected to leave.

As things stand, Mason Greenwood can't be considered as a viable option for the team - probably ever again - so his contributions on the wing and through the middle are over. While the charges he might face are of course more serious than club football, United need to replace him because the club are seriously short on strikers.

Edinson Cavani is another player whose contract will expire, and given the failure of the club to match Cristiano Ronaldo's ambition and the player's failure to match United's expectations, it would be little surprise if he were to leave. That would leave just Marcus Rashford as the only forward worth consideration, and his wretched form means he should start the season as second choice, at best. Rashford deserves another chance after a trying couple of years, but it is up to the player and manager to decide if it benefits him to stay in Manchester. A move may be on the cards, and that would mean Ten Hag needs two wingers and two strikers, and have them ready to adopt his system effectively.

One tactical shortcut on offer to him is to bring Donny van de Bee back from his loan spell at Everton. A cynic might suggest that United’s refusal to sell him might have been linked to an idea Ten Hag would be on his way, and he has shown occasional flashes at Everton to suggest his former manager might gain something from bringing him back. His confidence has clearly been affected, but familiarity amongst a sea of change must tempt the manager.

Problems elsewhere in midfield are more serious. If Paul Pogba leaves then more money will have to be found for his replacement. If he stays then £500,000 a week will be spent on a player who has shown himself to be worth barely a fifth of that when he pulls on a red shirt. Ten Hag likes his players to keep the ball, but that is consistently beyond Fred and Scott McTominnay, for all their recent improvement and commitment.

That lack of ability on the ball is a widespread problem. Harry Maguire is a clogger, and Aaron Wan-Bissaka appears to be scared of the ball. Luke Shaw is occasionally fast, but offers nothing when the ball is at his feet.

The aim of football, too, is to score goals. More - ideally - than the opposition. Ten Hag wants incisive attacking, but this is a team that is usually outworked by opponents above and below them. Add to this a squad that is breaking up, a remainder that needs replacing and reinvigorating, and a lack of expertise around him, and it might not matter what the manager wants to do, and how effective he has been at doing it.