Reading boss Paul Ince has revealed he’s hoping to take some ideas away from speaking with Erik ten Hag after Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie.
The Royals, who sit 14th in the Championship table, travel to Old Trafford to face Ten Hag’s Manchester United with a spot in the FA Cup fifth-round up for grabs.
Ince, a former midfielder for the Reds, will have the opportunity to pit his wits against the three-time Eredivisie winner.
With us having one foot firmly in the Carabao Cup final after beating Nottingham Forest 3-0 at The City Ground in the semi-final first leg, the former Ajax manager will be looking maintain his 100% record in England’s domestic cup competitions.
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Paul Ince explains what he hopes to take away from meeting Erik ten Hag
Ahead of returning to the Theatre of Dreams, Ince spoke in his press conference about how he believes Ten Hag differs to former United managers.
Ince said: “[David] Moyes never really had a chance and with [Louis] van Gaal and [Jose] Mourinho – you expected them to close the gap on Liverpool and City.
“But now, looking at Ten Hag, it’s great. They’re not there yet but at least the fans can see there’s a future going forward.
“It looks like Ten Hag has raised the standards there. He’s brought in the right players and I feel like he’s getting there.
“They’re gelling well. It’s important to have stability, you can’t keep chopping and changing managers.”
The 55-year-old faced the Red Devils twice when he was in charge of Blackburn Rovers and Ince came out on the losing on both occasions to his former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
While Ince is looking forward to trying to outwit Ten Hag, he’s also hoping to soak up as much information and knowledge from the 52-year-old after the game.
Ince concluded: “It’s always a challenge against any of the top managers. It’ll be nice to chat to him afterwards.
“And maybe there will be some ideas I can take from him.”