AWAY IS THE NEW HOME FOR TEN HAG
Erik switches the position of the United dugout which will give him faster access to the tunnel if he needs to make a hasty exit
BY
ERIK TEN HAG can make a quicker exit from Old Trafford if he needs to – after switching the position of the home dugout.
The Dutchman suggested swapping it with the away dugout when he first visited the stadium in May.
The change means the new Reds manager and his staff will be closer to the iconic Stretford End and the players’ tunnel, allowing him to head for cover faster should the flak start to fly. The new layout will be in use for the first time in tomorrow’s pre-season friendly against Rayo Vallecano when Cristiano Ronaldo will make his first appearance of the summer.
The Portuguese star has announced he will return to action for his club despite the fact he was left out of the squad to face Atletico Madrid in Norway today.
He is yet to play under ten Hag having missed United’s pre-season tour of
Thailand and Australia for ‘family reasons’.
The five-time Ballon d’or winner responded to a post on one of his many Instagram fan pages which shared the list of the 21-man squad travelling to Scandinavia for the clash with Atletico.
Ronaldo pointed this out in the comments last night as he simply declared: “Sunday the King plays.”
New signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez are likely to play at least 45 minutes each against
Atletico. Steve Mcclaren has spoken of his excitement at returning to Old Trafford to become part of the coaching team two decades after leaving.
He was assistant manager to Sir Alex Ferguson between 1999 and 2001, winning the Treble during his first campaign with the club.
The 61-year-old left to take charge of Middlesbrough and was also manager of England, FC Twente, Wolfsburg and Derby County. Mcclaren did not
hesitate when Ten Hag made him an offer to become part of the backroom set-up.
“It’s a club that’s always been in my heart and I think that, once you work for Manchester United in any capacity, that always stays in your blood,” he said.
“It has done since the first time I arrived here.
“It’s stayed and I’m so excited to be able to come back and help in whichever way I can to help this club get back to winning trophies.”