Erik ten Hag now has a second job at Man Utd which he makes 'ultimate decision' in

Manchester United's faith in manager Erik ten Hag is so strong he's effectively received a second job at the club.

The Dutch coach has impressed since arriving from Ajax in the summer. United are currently fourth in the Premier League and five unbeaten in all competitions.

Players are starting to buy into Ten Hag's vision, which was required following a miserable 21/22 campaign which saw the Red Devils finish sixth under interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

Per the Daily Mail, Ten Hag is keen on continuing United's tradition of giving academy graduates opportunities in the first team. There has been a homegrown player in every United squad since October 1937, over 4000 competitive games.

He's recently taken charge of United's reserve team, working closely with U23 manager Mark Dempsey and coach Paul McShane to open a pathway for youngsters. It's a similar system to the one he used at Ajax, which saw Ten Hag hand out 23 debuts.

Ten Hag has the 'ultimate say' on team selection and how much a player plays, as well as the position they'll develop in.

During the World Cup break, Ten Hag included several academy graduates in his squad.

Among the players to feature were Teden Mengi, Zidane Iqbal, Isak Hansen-Aaroen and Kobbie Mainoo. The latter, who scored against Cadiz, was on the bench for Saturday's 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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Discussing his role, Ten Hag said per the Athletic: "Like at Ajax, when I entered Manchester United the reserve team was isolated.

"It was no longer really part of the academy, but it wasn't part of the first-team either. I changed that immediately - just as I did when I entered Amsterdam.

"At Ajax, the reserve team came under the personality of the manager. That was the only way I could have influence on the flow of young, talented players towards the first-team.

"Of course, I still give the coaches freedom to work, but I also give them direction, by saying for example, I want that player to start making minutes in that position.

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"So the final responsibility lies with me about how the second team performs and the flow of players that goes from the reserve team to the first team."

Marcus Rashford scored the only goal of the game at Molineux to ensure United got off to a winning start in 2023.

The 25-year-old started the game on the bench for 'internal disciplinary' after oversleeping.

He replaced Alejandro Garnacho at halftime before scoring his sixth league goal of the season 14 minutes from time.