Erik ten Hag will be ruthless with his decision-making if he becomes Manchester United's next manager, according to journalist Dean Jones.

After a lengthy recruitment process, it seems that the 52-year-old Dutchman is closing in on the Old Trafford hotseat, and Jones expects him to stamp his authority early on.

What's been going on at Man United this season?

On the pitch, United have had a disastrous campaign, and they look set to miss out on Champions League football next season.

Interim boss Ralf Rangnick has also had problems with player power away from the pitch. The German coach claimed Anthony Martial refused to play against Aston Villa in January, while he also stated that Jesse Lingard asked for time off after he failed to get a move away from the club in the first month of 2022.

Meanwhile, Paul Pogba appears to be running his contract down at the club, while Edinson Cavani did not make himself available for the Manchester derby last month, despite returning to training after an injury lay-off prior to the match.

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What has Jones said about ten Hag?

Jones feels ten Hag won't want to be messed about by the United squad, and he has tipped the highly-rated manager to leave players out of his team if he believes they aren't on board with his approach.

Speaking about ten Hag to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said: "I’m told he’ll be ruthless, and if the players don’t respect him, they won’t play. We’ve seen player power at work under Rangnick, and I doubt we’ve seen the last of it."

Is it important that ten Hag stamps out player power at Man United?

There are a number of problems at United right now, but player power is certainly a major issue that ten Hag will need to deal with.

The players appeared to down tools in the final weeks of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign as they crumbled to heavy defeats against Liverpool, Manchester City and Watford.

Very little has changed under Rangnick, but the team do not seem to be taking accountability for their actions.

If United had picked up wins against Leicester and Everton, they would still be firmly in the hunt for a Champions League spot, but they produced two dismal performances and a top four finish now looks beyond them.

It looks like some players are not giving their maximum effort, and the team as a whole is not pulling in the same direction, leaving Rangnick helpless.

Ten Hag must get a handle on the situation quickly and improve the cohesion in the squad, or United will have another disappointing campaign next year.