Erik ten Hag’s decision to remove Harry Maguire as Manchester United’s captain is just his latest big call. Cristiano Ronaldo did not last long. David De Gea, the club’s long-serving goalkeeper, is gone too. He has been ruthless in managing change.
"There is nothing more difficult, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things." That quote belongs to infamous diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli. Ten Hag has had to play some politics of his own.
They say that the secret of change is not to focus energy on fighting the old but building the new. He has had to do both, constructing his new idea while removing the pillars of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's United. No wonder Ralf Rangnick said it would take six years to achieve it.
In doing so, he has been criticised from all sides. It would have been a bigger statement to move any or all of these players on immediately upon his arrival. Instead, he has waited for the right moment, aware of the need to deliver results as well as change.
Allowing events to play out as they did divided opinion. "I do not think it has been great management," said former captain Roy Keane of the Ronaldo affair. In referring to the decision to allow De Gea to leave without a proper farewell, Rio Ferdinand, another ex-skipper, declared himself "gutted with how the club have handled this".
Inevitably, there will be sympathy for Maguire in losing the captaincy too. But Ten Hag deserves credit for this tightrope walk.
He has been ruthless but he has been patient. Those two qualities are far from synonymous but the pace of change feels well judged.
Doing it quicker would have been risky.
Doing it slower would have undermined his principles.
None of these players were well suited to his vision. But they were the biggest earners at the club. One was the captain. The others were genuine United legends, the two men to have won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award more than anyone else.
