Former Manchester United coach is proving his doubters wrong in new role

It is safe to say there weren't too many tears shed by Manchester United fans when it was revealed Eric Ramsay would be leaving the club earlier in the year.

Having already been considered for jobs at both Blackpool and Swansea City, the 32-year-old finally left Old Trafford to join MLS side Minnesota United as their new head coach.

United felt the continued interest in Ramsay highlighted what a highly regarded coach he was, and while they didn't want to stand in his way to deny him such a good opportunity, they insisted they were sad to see him go.

United fans didn't seem to share the same views. Ramsay was often the scapegoat for their poor set-piece record, given that he had initially been brought to the club as a set-piece coach under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The truth is, that ever since Erik ten Hag arrived at the club, his role changed a great deal, with him given much wider responsibilities alongside assistants Mitchell van der Gaag and Steve McClaren. Ramsay became a first-team coach, and took the majority of training sessions alongside Van der Gaag and Darren Fletcher. Ramsay also had a pivotal role in preparing the squad for matches and an increased role in planning and taking sessions.

It is perhaps no surprise then, that in his first managerial role he is already flourishing. Since he arrived at Minnesota, they have recorded the second-highest points per game out of any side in the MLS. They sit third in the Western Conference, five points behind the league leaders, but with two games in hand.

A key part of the transformation has been their tactical overhaul under Ramsay, who has implemented an aggressive pressing approach where possible, having previously been a deep-lying counter-attacking team. Ramsay has favoured a 4-3-3 formation when possible, but has also showcased impressive adaptability by switching to a 3-4-3 formation and a 5-3-2 set-up when his squad options have been limited.

Ramsay has also earned plenty of plaudits for his linguistic skills, by regularly conducting his press conferences in Spanish and English, ensuring the club caters for the large Hispanic audience in the United States. The real test of his talents will be whether or not Minnesota can maintain their impressive start to the season across the course of an entire campaign, but so far, he is silencing his critics.

Having seen the success of Kieran McKenna at Ipswich and Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough, Ramsay could be the next United alumni to show them what they are missing.