Erik ten Hag’s praise of Old Trafford crowd shows how tide has turned at Manchester United

Instead of a fortress, Old Trafford was reduced to a crucible of frustration and anger towards the end of last season.

This culminated in boos and jeers as the disconnect between the team and supporters grew wider than it had ever been. A visible picture of the bitterness unfolded when Paul Pogba was seen cupping his ears to the crowd as he was heckled when trudging towards the tunnel after the 3-2 win over Norwich in April.

The toxic environment spread to the terraces and August’s losses to Brighton and Brentford sparked fears that a similar pattern could follow into this season. Erik ten Hag has firmly put a stop to that by fixing the Manchester United dressing room.

Fans finally have a manager that all sections are behind, some may argue for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. As a result, the mood around Old Trafford has lifted and positively intensified.

The stadium was rocking during the wins over Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham. Since the opening day loss to Brighton, United are yet to lose on home soil in the Premier League, only the draw to Newcastle preventing five straight wins.

The atmosphere within the stadium has been noted by Ten Hag, who described it as “magnificent”. He suggested that it’s helped the team earn results.

“The atmosphere, what we see in the moment at Old Trafford is magnificent, the fight, I think you feel it, I think it strengthens the squad,” he said in a special fans press conference on Wednesday.

“I think it also feeds the opponents how difficult it is to get points and we have to build that and to construct that further on, that process, the togetherness between fans and players, the team, because I think it's a weapon."

It's evidence that United’s 12th man is proving effective once again and Ten Hag has managed to encourage this within a matter of months. He has transformed his side into a gusty, passionate outfit which has translated into the stands.

Additionally, his dealings with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire and the two early season losses have endeared him to the United faithful. The tide has turned - The Theatre Of Dreams is a fortress again.