Erik ten Hag's 5 priorities as Man Utd boss links up with players for pre-season

Erik ten Hag finally gets to work at Manchester United on Monday as he welcomes back a host of players for the start of pre-season training - and the Dutchman already has a huge pile of things to sort out.

After a season of turmoil both on and off the pitch last season, Ten Hag is the man who has been tasked with the mammoth job of rebuilding a club who were once synonymous with success.

The ex- Ajax chief is the fifth permanent manager who has taken on the top job at Old Trafford since the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in the summer of 2013. Ten Hag will be hoping to fare better than his predecessors and will have designs on bringing the glory days back to Manchester - but he has a lot of work to get through before that can become a reality. Here, Mirror Football pinpoints five things that Ten Hag will be looking to get done now that pre-season has begun...

1. Getting Ronaldo on side

Perhaps Ten Hag's most pressing concern right now is appeasing Cristiano Ronaldo, who is rumoured to be unhappy at the club. The 37-year-old's form after returning last summer was probably the only positive from a season riddled with issues.

Recent reports have claimed that Ronaldo has grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of transfer activity at Old Trafford this summer off the back of their worst-ever season in the Premier League era. And with the veteran still determined to challenge for major honours in the twilight years of his career, there has even been some speculation that Ronaldo could seek a move elsewhere this summer.

It's vital that Ten Hag talks Ronaldo around as soon as possible. The former Real Madrid star topped United's goalscoring chats with 24 goals last season and will be indispensable again this year. Ronaldo is not expected to be part of the group returning to Carrington on Monday, but his new manager will be keen to get to work with the Portuguese superstar.

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2. Lifting the gloom

Ten Hag will have his work cut out trying to lift the doom and gloom from the club's Carrington training base.

United endured one of their toughest campaigns in recent memory last year and the former Ajax chief must ensure that last year's misery doesn't seep into the new season.

A number of individual players such as Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho finished the season woefully out of form and the onus will be on Ten Hag to get some of United's main men firing again as quickly as possible.

3. Sorting the captaincy

The situation surrounding Maguire and the United captaincy desperately needs resolving as soon as possible.

As previously mentioned, Maguire was far from the only Manchester United player to consistently underperform last year, but he was scrutinised more than most due to his role as captain. Interim chief Ralf Rangnick chose to back Maguire and refused to take him out of the firing line - but that approach failed to yield an improvement in the England man's form.

Whether or not Ten Hag decides to follow Rangnick's lead and stick with Maguire or turn to another member of the United squad to lead on the pitch, it's imperative that United's new boss takes control of the situation as soon as possible.

4. Getting transfers done

Much has been made of United's lack of movement in the market, and Ten Hag will be just as concerned as Ronaldo with the club's ponderous transfer approach.

United's pursuit of Frenkie de Jong has yet to come to fruition, while it is anticipated that Ten Hag will also struggle to entice some of his former Ajax stars to follow him to the Premier League. But now that Ten Hag is fully at the helm and players are back, this week is the perfect opportunity for the United chief to apply some gentle pressure on the club hierarchy.

With their rivals making moves to strengthen their squads, Manchester United are already playing catch-up. Ten Hag has the credentials to improve the United fortunes, but he is not a miracle worker - the club simply have to get going in the transfer market.

5. Blooding the next generation

Although there wasn't much to shout about in the senior ranks at Old Trafford last year, it was a campaign to remember for some of United's top prospects.

United's kids won the FA Youth Cup and there are a host of exciting young talents who could be integrated into the first-team folder under Ten Hag; who brought through a host of homegrown prospects in Amsterdam. The likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri have caught the eye, while Hannibal Mejbri has also made a major impression and was handed his senior debut in the final weeks of last season.

United also have James Garner coming back into the fold after a stunning spell on loan at Nottingham Forest in the Championship last year, so there are plenty of hot prospects for Ten Hag to run the rule over in the coming weeks.