Last season, Manchester United were slammed for having a fractured dressing room filled with cliques and spoiled players as they finished fifth in the Premier League, an eye-catching 12 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham.
However, fast forward to today and the mood surrounding the English top-flight's most successful club has taken a tremendous turn for the better. Reports of division among the players are no longer present. In its place, unity has taken over, and — more importantly — the newly-appointed Erik ten Hag has instilled the order and commitment that was often lacking a year ago.
Bruno Fernandes, one of the players who most exemplifies this, testified to this notion in a recent interview. The Portuguese ace, who is an undeniable talent that has faced criticism in the past over his perceived petulant attitude, sat down with club legend Rio Ferdinand for an interview on BT Sport.
This was held in preparation for Manchester United's highly-anticipated UEFA Europa League showdown against Barcelona, with the club hosting the Spanish giants at Old Trafford for the 2nd leg of their Knockout Round Playoffs tie.
The 28-year-old midfielder admitted that Ten Hag, upon arriving at the Theatre of Dreams, wasted no time in setting the ground rules. A strict dress code was established, as well as an eating schedule when at Carrington. Additionally, players were barred from using their phones during away trips.
However, the most crucial aspect was the manager's desire for commitment. The former Ajax boss made it clear during the press season tour that anyone who failed to meet his standards would not play. The question was whether this would apply to the superstars, of which there were many, but Ten Hag proved that this wasn't an empty threat following the whole Cristiano Ronaldo fiasco.
"He [Ten Hag] first arrived and we went on tour and the training sessions we had, he demands: you do it or you're out," Fernandes said.
"You don't play. Everyone was a little bit like in the beginning: 'Will he do that or not? If a big player doesn't do what he wants will he pull him apart or not?'
"And he did that many times, he did it with Cristiano, with Jadon, with Marcus."
Ronaldo crossed the line not only once but a number of times. Each infraction was met with a subsequent punishment, from being left on the bench after departing from the stadium at half-time during a friendly to being dropped from the squad altogether after refusing to come on as a late substitute in the 2-0 victory over Tottenham. However, the final straw was the bombshell interview with Piers Morgan in which the five-time Ballon d'Or winner slammed Ten Hag, the Glazers, and the state of the club. The manager drew the line in the sand and one of the greatest players of all time saw his contract get terminated.
But it didn't just end with Cristiano. Following the termination of Ronaldo's contract, the club's upward trajectory multiplied tenfold but even this did not spare Marcus Rashford when he became the latest perpetrator.
Albeit an honest mistake, the English attacker was punished by the boss for oversleeping and missing a team meeting for their trip to Wolves. The player was thus benched despite his scintillating form, sparking several headlines. Fernandes reveals that while he initially questioned this decision due to Rashford's importance to the squad, he came to realize its importance during a conversation with David de Gea, one of the club's captains.
"Marcus was probably in the best form against Wolves, he did something wrong and the manager pulled him out," Bruno stated.
"In the first moment, we thought 'he's our main man, we need him' but in the second I was sitting with David (De Gea) and I said 'it has to be like this' because if not that the younger ones will think 'if he does nothing to them he'll do nothing to me too'.
"He demanded from Rashy you have to be consistent in everything, not only in your games, in your goals, and your performance but off the pitch also. Marcus, in the beginning, was hungry because he wanted to play but he didn't do anything wrong, he accepted, came on, scored, we win and at the end, him and the coach are laughing. Sometimes you have to make some rules in your house. Otherwise, they will go over you and they will be the owners of the house."
And since then, both Marcus and Manchester United haven't looked back, with the player and club performing remarkably well since that 1-0 win at Wolves. The English attacker has scored 16 goals in 17 games following his short cameo for the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup while the Red Devils currently sit third in the table, three points behind rivals Manchester City and only five adrift of league leaders Arsenal.
Additionally, the club head into their 2nd leg showdown with Barcelona as the favorites to progress to the UEFA Europa League round of 16. Ten Hag's men secured a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Camp Nou and given their impeccable home form, the Red Devils will fancy their odds of winning at the Theatre of Dreams.
Then there is the Carabao Cup, with the manager leading the English giants to the final in his debut season. Newcastle stand in their way but the safest bet is on Ten Hag triumphing at Wembley Stadium and leading the club to their first piece of silverware in six years.
