It would have been easy to reach this conclusion as Ruud van Nistelrooy punched the air in delight after his first match as Manchester United interim manager ended with a crushing 5-2 victory over Leicester at Old Trafford Wednesday evening.

The mood of despair that cast an almost constant shadow over the same location for much of 2024 was replaced by optimism and joy just over 48 hours after Ten Hag received his marching orders to the following last Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham. .

The brutal side of the beautiful game is on display in moments like this. The players who failed to play for Ten Hag set out as he was led towards the exit door.

Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim is the man United’s owners have placed their trust in to lead a renaissance.

Here are six big tasks that need to be at the forefront of the 39-year-old Portuguese tactician’s radar on his first day at their Carrington training base.

CHANGE THE CULTURE

Ten Hag made it clear from day one that his biggest task at United was to break a culture of negativity that was dragging the club down – and I think everyone will agree that he has clearly failed in that mission.

Many of his key players have failed to live up to their billing and almost every one of his signings has failed to justify their big transfer fees. Many players have been infected by a virus which has plagued the club since Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager in 2013.

Amorim must put the word “team” back at the heart of a club that has been fractured on and off the pitch for much of the last decade.

THE INEOS PROBLEM

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe has been keen to highlight the structure of football he has put in place since joining the club, but their credibility is already under scrutiny.

The first big decision they had to make concerned the future of Ten Hag and their decision to give the Dutchman a contract extension last summer backfired.

By choosing to support Ten Hag on the basis of a good performance in the FA Cup final against Manchester City, the decision makers at INEOS made a mistake which cost the club a lot of money and severely tarnished their own reputation, that’s for sure.

QUESTION OF LEADERSHIP

Bruno Fernandes was criticized more than anyone during Ten Hag’s reign at United, with the Dutchman’s decision to make him club captain a source of constant debate.

Fernandes could be hailed as one of the few successful signings for United in recent years, but his tendency to disappear when the going gets tough has led to calls for a new style of leadership at the heart of midfield.

The arrival of fellow Portuguese Amorim may be welcomed by Fernandes, but United need leadership at the heart of their team and the man who manages the players every week must provide it.

MONEY PROBLEMS

United’s recently installed team of highly paid football decision-makers looks set to end the era of big spending in all areas of the club.

Some 250 staff members have been made redundant at United since Ratcliffe took the reins in February, with Ferguson among those cut from the wage bill as he loses his highly lucrative ambassador role next summer.

So any notion that Amorim will be given a huge transfer budget and encouraged to buy their way to early success can be banished.

Ratcliffe wants to progress in a prudent financial manner and United bosses have made it clear that the big sums spent on new signings last summer will not be repeated in future transfer windows.

THE UNITED WAY

The “attack, attack, attack” mentality of the Ferguson era at United was replaced by a confusing concoction of tactics under Ten Hag.

United’s best performances during his reign as manager came when they sat back, absorbed pressure, took their luck defensively and hit their opponents on the break.

But United fans expect to see their team at the forefront.

Amorim must set out a vision for how United play, starting with an established formation and a plan that has not been in evidence over the past couple of years.

The new United boss favors a 3-4-3 formation which should suit summer signings Matthijs de Ligt and Manuel Ugarte, but some high-profile names may not fit the DNA he wants in his players.

AVOID FLOPS

United have spent around £560million since Ten Hag took over as manager, but too many of his signings have failed to come through.

Amorim and the club’s decision-makers must be ruthless in removing failures from the squad, with Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, Antony and Marcus Rashford among those who could be left out over the next 12 months for different reasons.

Evans and Eriksen are reaching the end of their careers, while Maguire, Antony and Rashford have not done enough to justify their huge salaries.

There are suggestions that United bosses are keen to reduce the club’s explosive wage bill, with Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Scott McTominay and loanee Sofyan Amrabat among those transferred last summer.

Amorim will want to bring in their own players and this will inevitably lead to the exit of some of United’s failures.

Things are about to get interesting at Old Trafford.