United boss on ‘most difficult’ job
Erik ten Hag targets improved discipline on and off the pitch
Another pre-season, another manager, another reset and Manchester United supporters hoping and praying that, finally, the club may be about to crack it.
This is the fifth time in the nine years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement sent United into a tailspin that the club have looked forward to a new season with a new manager at the helm only, in the previous instances, for the optimism to soon fade.
David Moyes lasted 10 months, everybody bar the man himself seemed to know Louis van Gaal was going to be sacked, Jose Mourinho’s reign descended into pure toxicity, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was gone just four months after signing a new contract. There is, then, an understandable wariness about suggesting Erik ten Hag’s arrival is set to usher in some brave new world at a club who conceded more goals than relegated Burnley last season en route to their worst Premier League campaign and a fifth successive year without a trophy.
Whether Ten Hag succeeds or not, it is obvious he is not going to fix all of United’s problems overnight.
But he has also wasted no time showing players and staff who is boss as he seeks to restore some order and pride to the place.
You do not have to spend long in his company to see the premium he places on trust, unity and discipline, values that eroded away last season.
Ten Hag has wrenched himself away from the training field — his happy place — on the club’s preseason tour of Australia to talk for half an hour and it is easy to see why he seldom feels the need to rant and rave. It would be wrong to say he carries an air of menace but, when he fixes your attention, you dare not turn away.
He is polite, but unapologetically direct, intense and clearly of the view that there is little point in using 10 words when one will suffice. Even as his English improves, it is hard to see that changing.
“I think one of the issues when you want to get results is you need a team,” he says.
“It is organisation, co-operation, and also you need discipline. When there is no discipline around, you will not find it on the pitch as well.
“With such issues, I’m quite severe. But I think it is on the players themselves to also be severe to each other because if they want to achieve success they have to stick together. Sometimes there is a need for a correction.”
Ten Hag looked momentarily nonplussed when asked if he was the sort to throw tea cups around the dressing room before — in a rare moment of levity — poking fun at his own appearance when he suggested he had no need for the “hair dryer”.
You sense, though, that he could take a leaf out of Ferguson’s book if and when required. “It is a tool that a coach has,” he said.
“Most of the time, it will go in a normal behaviour way. Sometimes you have to use all the set of tools you have.”
The challenge awaiting Ten Hag this season is huge. With Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal all strengthening in a bid to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool, United may have their work cut out trying to finish in the top four.
There is no time to waste and, as such, there has been no let-up for the players.
Ten Hag has scaled all commercial activities right back to maximise the
[Lisandro Martinez] is a warrior. He’s not
the tallest, but he is quite good in the air.
Eric ten Hag, Man Utd manager
amount of time his squad can train.
Intense, uncompromising double sessions have mostly been the order of the day as the manager seeks to boost fitness levels and turn United into a team who, first and foremost, can press with cohesion and sustained intensity and get the best out of the likes of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford, talents who stagnated amid last season’s mess.
It has not been plain sailing for Ten Hag so far, though. The wait for his priority transfer target, Frenkie de Jong, goes on and Cristiano Ronaldo’s desire to leave and absence from the tour has been a major headache.
So far at least, Ten Hag has tackled that tricky situation quite cleverly, talking here about building the team around Ronaldo and even keeping him for another two years at the same time as waving away fears the 37-year-old does not fit into a side that intends to press aggressively.
How Ten Hag incorporates Ronaldo into the team — if he stays — will go a long way towards defining United’s season, but then similar importance could be attached to how successful they are able to defend playing the high line favoured by the former Ajax coach.
Doubts about Harry Maguire’s suitability in such a set up only grew during the 4-1 victory over Melbourne Victory on Friday when his lack of pace was exposed as United conceded after just four minutes.
But one of Ten Hag’s big early calls has been to stand by Maguire as captain, despite questions over whether the England defender warrants a regular place in the team after an error-strewn season.
Ten Hag hopes his backing will boost Maguire’s confidence.
“It can help, I will support him everywhere I can,” he said. “In the end, he has to do it by himself and he has the qualities to do it. He has showed it so often in the past.
“I always see the captaincy as an issue that I dictate. The team building for me is an important point and I always talk about a group of leaders. The captain is a really important one and I’m happy with him.”
So, as captain, will Maguire be a first-choice starter? “I think he is,” Ten Hag said. “He’s proved it in the past but he has also to prove it in the present time and in the future.
“He has played 60 times for England [46 in fact]. Harry is really impressive and I expect a lot from him. but there is also internal competition and that is what a club like Man United needs.”
That competition has got greater, with Lisandro Martinez about to sign from Ajax for £55 million ($106.5m), but Ten Hag gave the distinct impression the left-footed Argentina centre back and Maguire would at least start the season as his firstchoice partnership, which does not spell good news for Raphael Varane.
“We bring him [Martinez] in not to strengthen the squad, but the team,” Ten Hag said.
Martinez is only 1.75m tall but Ten Hag does not expect his height to be an issue and believes the Argentine’s aggression and character will be a valuable addition to the side.
“I analysed United last year in the left part of the defence,” Ten Hag explained. “He [Martinez] is left-footed and that is an advantage in possession and defending. And he also brings what I call a South American spirit — aggressiveness, control.
“He’s a warrior. He’s not the tallest, but he is quite good in the air. I feel comfortable with that. Of course, you need the right balance.
“He has good timing. I think it will fit really good to Manchester United and the way we play.”
While United have also brought in Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen and left-back Tyrell Malacia, the signing Ten Hag views as the most critical of the lot has still to arrive. De Jong has been earmarked for the No 6
role, but a stand-off with Barcelona over deferred wages the Holland midfielder is owed has still to be resolved, despite United agreeing a £72m fee with the Catalan club.
Ten Hag did not give the impression of rushing to find an alternative if De Jong cannot be enticed.
“We are looking for a player who can play in the holding midfield position, but it has to be the right one,” he said.
“There are not many in that position capable of the level we demand. We have a list. We will strike the moment the player is available.
“When we can’t find him, we have to deal with the players in our squad and we will develop one in that position.”
Much like Van Gaal, Ten Hag’s judgment is being backed above all else, although he hinted he would have moved for more English players but for the prohibitive costs.
United were interested in signing West Ham midfielder Declan Rice and Tottenham striker Harry Kane, but the pair would have cost in excess of £200m.
“I would like to sign English players because I think there is only one criteria and that’s quality in combination with the price,” he said. “It looks like English players are quite expensive. In the end it’s about quality.”
Ten Hag admits the players need lifting after last season, but was confident he can succeed where so many others have failed.
“You can see that it affected the players,” he said.
“Now we have to cheer them up and motivate them. We are trying to bring the confidence back. That is one of the important points to get success — that you have self-belief as an individual and as a team.
“I must say I have a strong belief. This is a big challenge but until now everywhere I’ve been, I’ve got the maximum out of my teams. This is the project that is the most difficult, I realise that, but I am here so I am convinced that I can do it.”
— Telegraph Group Ltd