Erik ten Hag has admitted that people warned him of taking the “impossible” Manchester United job.
The Dutchman is facing intense scrutiny as the Red Devils have endured a dire start to the campaign. Despite a promising inaugural term in charge, second-season syndrome has hit Ten Hag like a ton of bricks, though the pressure on him has been slightly eased after beating a dire Chelsea side 2-1 at Old Trafford.
It was always going to be tough for the Dutchman to turn things around at Man Utd, a club that has become known as a managerial graveyard since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. Speaking to fanzine United We Stand, Ten Hag has revealed that there were major doubts over whether he should take the reins at Old Trafford.
“Everyone was telling me ‘You can’t succeed in that job’. They said it was impossible. Me? I wanted the challenge. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it was such a great club with such a great fanbase. People love Man Utd, or they are against Man Utd. I like clubs like this. Ajax was like this.”
Ten Hag clamps down on player demands
Despite a cathartic victory over Chelsea, Ten Hag could face his latest inquest as Man Utd boss in the wake of last week’s reports that there has been a rift in the squad and that the 53-year-old has lost 50 per cent of the dressing room, claims that saw high-profile media figures banned from one of the Dutchman’s press conference where he dismissed the assertions.
Ten Hag’s harsh training methods and disciplinarian style have reportedly contributed to players’ unhappiness and his latest action will have done little to change that as the Daily Mail is now claiming that the coach has refused to give in to his stars’ demands for more days off and being told of upcoming training schedules in advance.
Despite “several complaints from members of the players’ leadership group in recent weeks,” Ten Hag has denied requests to ease their workload, asserts the report. One of the players in the leadership group is Luke Shaw who made headlines after liking a tweet criticising teammates Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial after the Chelsea game. The drama never stops at Old Trafford.
