Erik ten Hag might already have made a change at Manchester United training

If the bibs came out on the first day of pre-season at Carrington on Monday then let's hope the Manchester United players paid attention to putting them away again. This was the first day of the Erik ten Hag era at United and the first chance for the Dutchman to introduce himself to his new players, or some of them at least.

The full squad won't be back together until next week but those who didn't feature in internationals were back on Monday, an early pre-season return in a season of unprecedented length and complexity thanks to the winter World Cup. But if those players back at Carrington were expecting to ease their way back in, they might have been disappointed given Ten Hag's approach at his previous club.

For the 52-year-old, this is the start of the biggest job of his life. The culmination of a coaching journey that began with his first managerial job, at Go Ahead Eagles a decade ago.

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Ten Hag was considered a bold appointment for a club then in the second division in Holland, but he made his mark immediately.

As the players trudged off after the first training session they were given a dressing down by Ten Hag, unhappy that the bibs had been left in one big pile when he wanted them organised into piles by their colour, blue, yellow and orange.

It's a story from Ten Hag's first day in management but it's probably an appropriate one. This is a coach with an eye for the small details but also someone that is demanding, with a perfectionist streak.

He came in with a little of demands at Go Ahead Eagles and Edwin Mulder, the club's former chairman, said it took the board three months to come to terms with his demands, only to be convinced by