Erik ten Hag is proving John Murtough's biggest Manchester United fear wrong

Manchester United played Crystal Palace on the final day of last season and Erik ten Hag was at Selhurst Park to watch the match.

Young fans rushed to get a glimpse of the Ten Hag upon arrival his arrival at the stadium and a Sky Sports reporter was equally desperate to speak to him after the full-time whistle. The reporter followed Ten Hag into the car park after the game and was told to keep his distance by security. He felt aggrieved and said: "It doesn't look good being manhandled by security, Erik."

The reporter then took to social media after that incident to post a picture of him alongside Louis van Gaal from when the Netherlands national team boss was appointed at Old Trafford in 2014. The post was intended to show Ten Hag 'how Manchester United's manager should act'.

Although the social media post directed at Ten Hag was inadvisable, some online argued in favour of the reporter, suggesting that it wasn't much of an ask to give a few words in response, which led to questions about the type of character the Dutchman is.

The journalists in Amsterdam who covered Ten Hag's time in Ajax had warned he was quiet and introverted in his press conferences ahead of his arrival at Old Trafford, which led some to believe he would find it difficult to build relationships with his new players.

Ten Hag quickly eased those concerns in his official unveiling press conference. He greeted the dedicated correspondents across the front row with handshakes that day and he made a charismatic first impression, despite being straight-talking, direct and blunt, with Dutch waffles and bottles of Heineken in the press room helping to create a warm atmosphere.

Since then, Ten Hag has continued to be succinct in his press conferences and continued to make a strong impression across his first five months in Manchester, as his style has been refreshing and he's getting the best from his players, more importantly.

He was also praised by supporters in late August for the way he handled his latest encounter with the Sky Sports reporter who tried to speak to him at Selhurst Park. The reporter tried to ask Ten Hag a question at his pre-Southampton press conference, but his question was overlooked, with another reporter from the BBC getting the chance to ask the manager a question instead.

The Manchester Evening News understands United were not happy with the Sky Sports reporter door-stepping Ten Hag at Ajax's training ground earlier this year, and were also unhappy with the timing of a tweet the reporter sent shortly after the 4-0 loss to Brentford.

The tweet read: "karma" and was followed by a smug-faced emoji. Ten Hag wasn’t inclined to accept a question from the reporter due to his tweet apparently revelling in United’s defeat and his snub was popular with United supporters.

The people who argued in favour of the reporter at Selhurst Park were also quieter in light of the new evidence. Regardless of what journalists and supporters think about his character, though, it's the players that have given the answer that really matters.

After defeats against Brighton and Brentford, United have made tremendous progress under Ten Hag and the concerns about whether he would get a response from the dressing room with his strict man-management style have been squashed.

With the exception of the Manchester derby defeat, United have impressed since their poor start and the glimmers of Ten Hag's philosophy have become increasingly sustained, while his summer signings have become fan favourites.

Ten Hag has also been able to inspire improvement from the players he inherited, which is a sign of a good manager. The squad has responded to the discipline he's instilled and it's telling the 'togetherness' and 'spirit' have become the players' buzzwords.

Football director John Murtough was responsible for the appointment of Ten Hag and he wouldn't have had doubts about his tactical acumen, but he might have privately harboured concerns about his personality and ability to connect with players.

Ten Hag is proving those concerns wrong this season and he deserves to be lauded for his man-management, especially when his rebuild could have easily been derailed by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been tricky to handle all campaign.

Although making Ronaldo captain against Aston Villa was a dubious decision, Ten Hag's handling of the player has otherwise been masterful and his management of the striker has proved he's got what it takes to manage a club the size of United.

Ten Hag's CV reads Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II, Utrecht and Ajax, which means that was far from guaranteed.

It's been a commendable start to his tenure.