Erik ten Hag must get Man United back where they need to be after solving Cristiano Ronaldo problem

As hot-weather training camps go, a wet week in Cádiz probably wasn’t what Erik ten Hag had in mind for his Manchester United players over the World Cup break.

Staff at the Montecastillo hotel and golf course, where United were based in Jerez de la Frontera for most of their stay, told us they couldn’t remember a worse spell of weather that must have felt more like Carrington than Cádiz for the equipment.

Ten Hag and his coaching staff had to abandon the main pitch because it had absorbed too much rainwater, and then narrow down a secondary pitch due to puddles.

Man United’s hot-weather trip to Cadiz marred by miserable wet conditions in Spain

But the future looks brighter than ever for Erik ten Hag heading into the second half of the season.

An outdoor gym set up for players in a marquis was left virtually unusable, and security personnel in golf carts had to navigate the complex with great care in the precarious conditions.

Lightning may have been predicted, but that didn’t stop Ten Hag and his coaches from putting the players to the test in surprisingly intense training sessions.

In the leaden skies above, a drone hovered as it captured images and data for United’s analyst team. The club was forced to call in a local operator because the drones normally used in Carrington were too large, according to aviation law in Andalusia.

Despite the challenging conditions, this felt like a settled group. Certainly more so than the divided group that collapsed under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick last season. Happier too, you suspect, now that Cristiano Ronaldo has left the building.

Some players were not the biggest fans of the Portugal star. Those who counted themselves as friends had long accepted that it would be better if Ronaldo left.

Now that Cristiano Ronaldo has left the building, few dark clouds hang over the Ten Hag at Old Trafford

When Piers Morgan started leaking bits of his explosive interview just minutes after Alejandro Garnacho’s last goal for Fulham in the last game before half-time, the mood among the team ranged from anger to disbelief.

If there was any question that United are better off without Ronaldo, it was answered on that bus ride from Craven Cottage.

Ten Hag can now kick off and get United back to where the club needs to be.

Ronaldo’s acrimonious departure leaves a considerable gap in Ten Hag’s team, but he is determined to fill it in the January transfer window if the right deal is available. Either way, he’s taken a load off the manager’s shoulders.

Breaking Ronaldo’s contract has removed one of the few clouds remaining over United since Ten Hag took over in the summer. There is no doubt that he has moved United in the right direction. The question now is how quickly you can get them to where they need to be.

Of course, there have been some teething problems. The Dutchman couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start than back-to-back defeats against Brighton and Brentford.

Losing 6-3 to Manchester City and 3-1 to Aston Villa were also wake-up calls, but Ten Hag never said it would be an easy road. Quite the opposite, in fact.

But their summer signings (Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martínez, Antony and Tyrell Malacia) have had a positive impact, contributing to a promising first half of the season.

Garnacho’s goal – who has done more than anyone to sow optimism at Old Trafford – at Fulham sent United to half-time in style despite Ronaldo’s efforts to spoil the party.

The World Cup has presented some unique problems for all Premier League clubs, of course. Some players didn’t even go to Qatar and needed to keep fit at Carrington or at the training ground in Cádiz. Others came back sooner than they would have liked.

Raphael Varane and Martínez reached the World Cup final on Sunday, the biggest match of their lives, and then must return from the desert to resume the domestic season in the dead of winter after a week off.

Players will have had different experiences in Qatar and will have different amounts of playing time. Ten Hag says United are prepared for all scenarios, but the back-room staff will have to work hard to get everyone back on track for the remainder of the season.

As Pep Guardiola pointed out last month, the full impact of this World Cup will not be known for some time.

Martínez and Varane are not the only ones making progress in Qatar.

Harry Maguire, the man left out of central defence, once again showed what he can do in England’s white shirt. Maguire now needs to show the same form and confidence for United amid uncertainty over his future at Old Trafford.

Raphael Varane (L) and Lisandro Martínez will return as World Cup finalists later this month.

Harry Maguire (left) and Marcus Rashford (right) will also return to United in impressive form

Marcus Rashford’s rehabilitation for club and country continued with three goals in England’s run to the quarter-final.

Brazil and Portugal suffered equally disappointing outings, but Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes shone in Qatar. The importance of seeing Christian Eriksen play in an important championship for Denmark was not lost on anyone.

In Spain, Anthony Martial made two more appearances in matches against Cádiz and Real Betis while recovering from injury. United lost both, but was able to give many of the FA Youth Cup-winning teams valuable first-team experience.

Ten Hag’s admission that Jadon Sancho was neither physically nor mentally fit to join his teammates at Cádiz is worrying, but one hopes that the decision to send the 22-year-old to the Netherlands to work away from the center of care is in your best interests.

Sancho is lucky to have a young and progressive coach in Ten Hag and he is not the only one. The first six months under the Dutchman’s orders have been very encouraging.

Now United must build on that over the next six months as they bid on a top-four finish and the chance of a first trophy since 2017.