“You have to show no mercy within the group” – Mikael Silvestre offers advice to Erik ten Hag ahead of Manchester United stint as manager 

Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has advised Erik ten Hag to show his players no mercy at Old Trafford.

United are coming off the back of one of the club's most embarrassing seasons to date as they finished the season trophyless and sixth in the Premier League.

They recorded the lowest points tally (58) in the Red Devils' Premier League history and did so in woeful fashion.

Silvestre was part of Manchester United's period of dominance in the league under Sir Alex Ferguson. They have won four Premier League trophies in the last decade.

He believes Ten Hag needs to instill similar traits to that of Sir Alex Ferguson in getting strict with his United players.

The former French defender said (via Express):

“When I was there, there was a self-discipline, a dynamic, where you knew what your standing was within the dressing room. And on top of that, the boss would be the boss. You have got to show your authority and make sure everybody knows their role on the pitch and off the pitch."

He added:

“It takes a bit of time to measure and understand the dynamic of the squad when you are a manager with a new group of players. You need to be in a position where you earn respect by giving players respect. But also be extremely demanding. Because that is what they want."

Silvestre believes the group of players have the mentality to win trophies but that they need to be kept in line:

“All these guys want to be challenging for the title, so you have to show no mercy within the group and keep everybody in check and make sure they apply what you are doing, because there has been too much liberty taken in recent years.”

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Erik ten Hag's rebuild of Manchester United starts in the dressing room

It was a nightmare season for the Red Devils

Manchester United's problems this season have mostly lied behind-the-scenes with rumors of unrest plaguing their campaign.

The mood at Old Trafford has been ominous with the players not seeming to be a collective group, but rather a group of individuals.

One of the main tasks for Erik ten Hag to focus on as United boss is to reunite the group of players at his disposal. He will look to ensure they are all coinciding with one another.

Throughout Ralf Rangnick's tenure as interim manager, the squad seemed at odds with not only his coaching but each other.

This is a problem that Ten Hag will need to fix given that Manchester United do boast an impressive squad of talent on paper.