Man Utd: How Ten Hag created trophy-winning machine

• Ten Hag has prioritised culture over tactics

• Ajax verticality beginning to show

• Man Utd should win another trophy this year

Erik ten Months might just stick. That's the amount of time it took him to win his first piece of silverware as Manchester United manager and on the evidence of what we have seen in an extraordinary debut season in English football it will not be his last - perhaps not even this year.

Back in mid-August, in the aftermath of a 4-0 defeat to Brentford that made it two defeats from two, Utd appeared more crisis-ridden than ever before. Here was proof this was an unmanageable club, a basket-case behemoth of corporate greed and chaotic leadership that an upstart from Ajax had no chance of saving.

The comeback since then has been astonishing and scarcely believable, not least because we have not seen the Ten Hag we had anticipated. Rather than a dogmatic tactical theorist wedded to ultra-hard pressing and risky attacking football he has managed through the more old-school traits of leadership, coaching, and motivating.

It is perhaps for that reason that so few have sought to analyse what exactly Ten Has has changed at Old Trafford. Here's a deep dive into the elements that have defined his early success:

Tactical simplicity, Fergie-like trust

The Ajax stuff can wait. Ten Hag recognised that Manchester United needed an entire cultural reset and that meant creating a whole new identity in the dressing room before doing any of the more complex tactical work that earned him the job in the first place. In doing so he has displayed man-management skills that nobody knew he possessed.

Aura counts for a lot in football. The ability to speak well in press conferences, give clear instructions, and look like you belong can go a long way, and from the outset Ten Hag has made being Man Utd manager look easy. What is most striking, following Sunday's EFL Cup win, is how similar United feel to a Sir Alex Ferguson team.

Ten Hag and his staff have quietly made huge improvements to individual players, showing the kind of attention to detail in coaching that does not translate to a macro-tactical philosophy but instead ensures each small component is a few percentage points better. Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford now look world-class; Fred is twice the player he was; and new signings Lisandro Martinez and Antony have rounded out the first 11.

When it comes to what happens on the pitch Ten Hag uses, for the most part, an unassuming and fairly conservative tactical setup with less pressing than expected and fewer automatisms. Instead, the players are trusted to feel out a game, to improvise in the creation of chances, and to stay in a contest via their defensive work before striking at the right moment.

Again this chimes with the Ferguson years and similarly Ten Hag relies on certain leaders on the field to work things out for themselves, with Casemiro rising to the fore, particularly since the toxic Cristiano Ronaldo left the club.

A midfield foundation and gradually adding detail

Signing Casemiro is arguably the most important aspect of United's campaign. Along with Christian Eriksen he has provided a foundation that allows the team to commit numbers in attack, using his immaculate anticipation and positional skills to stamp out counter-attacks before they become a problem. But even in possession Casemiro is the man in control, giving Man Utd the same vibe as the imperious - though tactically simple - Real Madrid team that won four consecutive Champions Leagues under Zinedine Zidane.

Again, there isn't a lot to be said for the hyper-complex tactical stylings that have tended to come to the fore in the Premier League, rather a stoic and competent team managed with trust and filled with quality: a Ferguson staple. However, having laid down this midfield foundation, Ten Hag is beginning to dial up some of the details that made Ajax such a unique threat.

The most noteworthy aspect of Ten Hag's approach is the tendency towards verticality in possession. He leant into Ajax's traditions for total football but unlike Pep Guardiola he wants to embrace making use of transitions and ensuring there is always purpose and urgency, which we are starting to see in the final third at least.

Wout Weghorst's arrival - his movement making space, his touches releasing faster team-mates - has allowed Rashford, Antony, and Jadon Sancho to flourish. Over time we are seeing more of United's most direct players crammed into the team, with Bruno Fernandes even moved out to the right wing in order to create more room in the middle for inward diagonal runners. This will increase in the years ahead.

How many trophies can Man Utd win?

Man Utd are years ahead of schedule, so to predict a tapering off would most likely be to underestimate Ten Hag. With Casemiro forging a defensive unit as good as any in Europe, and forwards only growing in confidence under the manager's influence (Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho are about to set on fire), they are rightly favourites to win the Europa League at 5/2.

It's definitely worth backing Man Utd to win two or more of the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League at 10/11, because even without European success the FA Cup is another tournament there for the taking. Manchester City are their only real rivals and Man Utd, who face West Ham on Wednesday for a place in the final eight, beat City 2-1 at Old Trafford in January.

As for the Premier League, the eight-point gap to Arsenal is surely insurmountable. But implausibly Man Utd are only one window away - one Harry Kane, one right-back, more midfield depth - from being as strong as anyone in the country.