Connect with us

Manchester United

Erik ten Hag has been like a conductor in Man Utd’s training sessions

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been like a conductor during the club’s training sessions this summer, The Telegraph’s James Ducker reveals.

The 52-year-old arrived at Old Trafford with a big reputation from Ajax, and he has already stamped his authority on the team, making several notable changes.

One of them has been the compulsion for the players to eat their dinner and breakfast together such that there is more togetherness and cohesion within the squad.

Meanwhile, Ten Hag has been heavily involved in the training sessions like ‘a conductor’ and the players are said to be pleased with the 52-year-old taking the lead.

His assistants Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag are also said to be ‘very hands-on and vocal’. Ten Hag has been ‘very precise’ in handing instructions to players, who have doubts over what he wants.

Ten Hag is the perfect manager for Man Utd

Over the years, United have generally trained under assistant managers, but the trend has completely changed with Ten Hag intensively involved in each session.

The Dutch tactician has placed much emphasis on ball control and distribution. He wants his players to make decisions with surety and without any kind of fear.

This is a drastic change from previous managers. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, United played good counter-attacking football, but there was no distinct build-up play.

Ralf Rangnick tried to improve the work rate through his assistant Chris Armas, but the training was heavily focused on dispossessing opponents with high pressing.

Not much emphasis was given on what to do with the ball. Under Ten Hag, there should be a right balance between both aspects. His ‘hands-on’ approach will hopefully get the best out of the squad.