Five Erik ten Hag takeaways for Man Utd stars after his former players speak out

MANCHESTER UNITED will welcome Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford as their new manager this summer.

Erik ten Hag's Man Utd in-tray

Manchester United will welcome Erik ten Hag to Old Trafford this summer after appointing him as their new boss. The 52-year-old made a name for himself during a successful four-and-a-half year spell in charge of Ajax and will be tasked with overseeing a resurgence in the north west nine years after the club last won the Premier League.

Ahead of Ten Hag’s official arrival at Old Trafford, a whole host of his former players have spoken out to give their thoughts on the move. And Express Sport looks at five takeaways for United stars following the comments.

He will bring success to the club if given time

Ten Hag signed Daley Blind from the Red Devils during his first season at the helm at Ajax. And Blind thinks his former boss will succeed at Old Trafford if given the time he needs. “Erik ten Hag is a great guy,” said the Netherlands defender. “I am quite confident in him at Manchester United - but he needs the board behind him. At Ajax he had [Edwin] van der Sar and [Marc] Overmars behind him no matter what, also in bad times. I hope he gets the time there. He is one of the best managers around.”

He is aggressive

Former Everton and Ajax winger Andy van der Meyde played alongside Ten Hag during the early part of his career. And he thinks the Dutchman can be aggressive when he needs to be. “Erik is from the east of Holland - very down-to-earth,” the 42-year-old said. “He’s kind, straight and honest - but he can also be aggressive. All he wants is to win while making the team better.”

READ MORE: Man Utd stars told what to expect as Daley Blind sends Ten Hag plea

Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag will become Manchester United boss this summer (Image: GETTY)

His man-management is top notch

Van der Meyde also believes Ten Hag’s man-management is a positive. “He’s such a good manager who develops a relationship with his players and finds time for them if they need to talk,” the former player added. “Erik gives a lot of attention to the players and, as a result, they will do a lot more for him than if he was distant and only their manager, without holding private talks.”

He has high demands on the training pitch

Brighton right-back Joel Veltman spent two-and-a-half years plying his trade under Ten Hag at Ajax and played both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Juventus in 2019 when the Dutch team famously reached the last four of the competition, before succumbing to Tottenham. The 30-year-old believes Ten Hag’s success can be put down to the high demands he sets on the training pitch.

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Frenkie de Jong

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong says Erik ten Hag plays attractive football (Image: GETTY)

“He expects a lot on the training pitch, because he was always saying, ‘if you don’t perform on the training pitch, you will never show on the gameday,’” Veltman said. “So, he was really putting pressure on us at training.”

He will play attractive football

One player who became a world-beater under Ten Hag is Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The 25-year-old was another man who starred for Ajax during their Champions League run three years ago. De Jong has been tipped to link-up with his former boss at Old Trafford this summer and spoke about his compatriot’s style of football as he sent a message of support. “It was a great time, in which you have shown results with attractive football,” De Jong said about Ten Hag’s time with Ajax. “You have proven yourself to be a top trainer and you've deserved this step. I want to wish you good luck.”

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