So Erik has a new interview out with AD in the Netherlands. The interview was released in two parts.
You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. The user u/nearly_headless_nic on reddit has provided a translation to English on the r/reddevils subreddit - The translation for Part 1 (translated) is here and Part 2 is here. Not sure what the Caf policy is on posting entire translated articles but I'll just copy and paste the reddit post and the mods can let me know if it is against the rules and I will delete them -
Super in depth and interesting interview, was really surprised about how candid Ten Hag was willing to be here, especially in part 2. Talks about the struggles at Man United, preparation for the FA Cup final and the challenge of making the players believe they could win, how he felt a bit isolated when he first came to the club in terms of how big the job is and how little support he felt he had, his early (quite positive) impression of Dan Ashworth and their working relationship, how he feels the playing squad at United is not of the standard needed to compete for the biggest titles, how he felt the working culture at United was also not that of an elite sporting institution when he first came in, basically confirms interest in De Ligt (and says he wanted to bring De Ligt in during his first summer), also is quite candid about Antony not working out and not being good enough last season (but he still has faith in his ability) and is quite open and critical about the structure at the club when he first came in. Also seems to basically confirm the speculation that Ineos left him out to dry during the 'season review' and they had quite a positive, but "confrontational" talk before agreeing to continue. Also confirms Laurie Whitwell's report that the change in coaching staff was his idea. Some of my main takeaways from the interview -
On the lack of communication from Ineos after the final -
On the conversation with Brailsford in Ibiza about continuing this season -
On choosing the new coaching staff -
On previous managers failing at United and what it says about the quality of the playing staff-
Ralf Rangnick was right in his assessment of what needs to change at United -
On the new structure at United -
On why it has been difficult at United to turn things around -
Thoughts?
You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. The user u/nearly_headless_nic on reddit has provided a translation to English on the r/reddevils subreddit - The translation for Part 1 (translated) is here and Part 2 is here. Not sure what the Caf policy is on posting entire translated articles but I'll just copy and paste the reddit post and the mods can let me know if it is against the rules and I will delete them -
In the corner of his office there is a houseplant, an overgrown Sanseveria. Furthermore, there is little cozy about this modest space, with a suspended ceiling, a few seats and a desk.
“It's a bit of improvisation,” says Erik ten Hag apologetically. Earlier in the afternoon we were given a tour of Carrington, Manchester United's famous training complex south of the city. The large main building where the first team normally resides is fenced off with construction fencing. It will be completely demolished in the coming weeks.
"That's why we joined the academy for this year. The main building will be completely replaced and renovated this year."
In a sense it is also a symbolic renovation. Because it was not the case that 'The first team building' at Carrington was stuck together with adhesive tape and was completely outdated. In fact, it was modernized six years ago. But in the context of the Premier League it was no longer one of the most modern, super-luxury complexes in England.
The new owner and Ineos billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe therefore immediately threw fifty million pounds at it to give Carrington not a four-star, but a maximum five-star appearance. “That fits exactly with the ambitions that Ineos has for United,” Ten Hag also sees. “They strive for the best of the best in everything.”
That the Dutchman himself is still a participant in that future was certainly not a given this summer. After a dramatic season in the Premier League, ending with an eighth place and an inglorious journey through the Champions League, his job was a topic of discussion in May. The Ineos top weighed and weighed. In the weeks shortly before and after the FA Cup final win against Manchester City on May 25 (2-1), rumors, doubts and uncertainty reigned.
What did all that do to you, in that week before Wembley?
Ten Hag: “You have influence on many things, but on some you don't. There was so much going on at that stage. But I still firmly believed that we could win that final. The most important thing of all was to convey that belief to my team. I had to be careful that the entire environment did not become negative in advance. And that that was also in the minds of the players."
But wasn't it also about your own position? Before and after the final you worked hard, more than you had ever done at United.
"I wasn't really concerned with that, though. My position left me completely indifferent."
That's almost impossible, isn't it?
“I wanted to win. If United's management find someone tomorrow who they think is better, then I'll go. It's that simple. Those are the mechanisms in football that you have to respect. At a club like this, but also at Bayern Munich and Ajax, it is crystal clear: if you don't win, you have a problem."
Why did you win so little last season?
“That was a sum of factors. The first thing I have always done is analyze myself: what have I left behind? But there were a number of crucial things over which I had no influence, such as the enormous number of injuries. I know that the arrows were also aimed at me in that respect, but it doesn't work that way."
How was it put together?
Ten Hag thinks for a moment. Within the medical staff and performance department, United have now appointed a new doctor (Gary O'Driscoll) and a new head of physiotherapy (Jordan Reece), both from Arsenal. Ten Hag: "It had nothing to do with the intensity of my training, because you train and play here every three days. That started in my first season.
"If you see the program we had at the time, with 61 matches, not to mention all the matches that my players played for their national teams: that is simply bizarre. That's really too much. We are not the only team that struggled with injuries, other clubs had the same. Last season we were constantly in the same positions, all at the back. At one point we had almost no defenders available."
But isn't that unimaginable, especially at a club that has invested hundreds of millions in players in the last ten years?
“When we started here, United hadn't won a trophy for six years and it really wasn't because they didn't have good managers here. It does say something about the composition and quality of the player group. I knew that when I started, of course. Only: they were long-term commitments.
“We were and still are in that process. If you compare our selection with other top clubs in the Premier League, we are certainly a lot less in terms of breadth. That is exactly why we found it so difficult to deal with those injuries.”
Immediately after winning the FA Cup final you went on holiday. Was it clear to you then what the sequel would be?
,,No. Except that I still had a year left on my contract. But if at some point communication decreases, you will of course feel it. That was clear: there was less communication during that period. While before that it was always there, and good too. Communication increasingly had to come from me. Even after the final.”
What do you conclude from that?
“Well, I just went on holiday and did my thing. We have prepared the last things for the new season, in a professional manner. The preparation program, the design of the selection, that kind of thing. And then you go on holiday, away from the situation, because it was a very tough season. By far the toughest season I have experienced as a trainer."
What did that do to you personally?
“You get tired, especially at the end. Then you have to ensure that you maintain the sharpness. Let's face it: you lose too many matches, it just takes strength to keep the team focused and motivated every time. The players are disappointed, the people around you are disappointed.
"This is a very big club, a lot of people work here. These people also become disappointed, a negative mood arises. As a manager you have to keep giving the energy. That takes strength, of course."
As a manager, do you also have a coach yourself?
“Not in the sense of a personal coach. But I do have people who support me, people who help me a lot. My wife, my family, my agent, my friends. I regularly act as a sounding board."
Do you come home exhausted every day? Because of course it was a shitty season, to put it bluntly.
Laughing: “That was it. I'm not allowed to say it like that, but you can. And that's exactly what it was. If you don't win, everything takes more energy. After the Cup Final I got energy again, but the first week after a season you just have little resistance. Then you're done.
"This is a job in which you may make a thousand decisions a day. Every day. And it goes on and on, at a breakneck pace. I understand Jürgen Klopp very well that after nine years at Liverpool he says: it's over now, I don't have the energy anymore. This is really a tough job.”
But then you had such a tough season. Then you first go to Twente and then to Ibiza, but you hardly hear anything from the club management. That's strange, isn't it?
“Yes, communication broke down. But I was just celebrating holidays with my loved ones, and I let things happen. I have no influence on that."
But isn't that very strange? These were the Ineos people with whom you had worked very intensively for months, who saw you as an ideal candidate to shape their project, even when the results were not good. And then suddenly the line is dead.
“Of course that is a strange state of affairs. But it's not like I panicked. Why? It's a decision that was out of my hands. I just waited it out. At that moment you just think in two scenarios: either we continue or not. It's that simple and I'm level-headed enough to look at it that way.”
But during that period, did you never think 'figure it all out, I'll stop myself'?
"This may sound a bit clinical, but I think about these kinds of things in the process. And if you know how processes run, you know that the line often goes up, but due to circumstances it also sometimes goes down. If you know what you are doing, if you know which direction you want to go and base your decisions on that, in the purest possible way.
“If you put in place the right structures and work well together based on clear lines. If you also have a good relationship with the players, with the people on the work floor. Then you know that things will get better again.
“That also adds up to my football vision. If you look at my career, I have almost always gotten the most out of my teams for ten years. From Go Ahead Eagles to now here at United. And almost always won a prize. That gives me a certain peace. Ultimately, success also came to United, although that was late in the season. As difficult as it was, we did win a prize. In all those years before we came, that had always failed."
So a season like last season doesn't make you feel insecure?
,,No. Don't get me wrong: I'm not perfect. But as long as I continue to reflect on myself every day, continue to develop and challenge myself to reach a higher level, I am convinced that this will ultimately lead to success. In the Premier League - and that is the great thing about this competition - everyone is good.
"Here are the best managers, with the best structures and organizations behind them, working with the best players. So you have to be really good.”
And then Ineos CEO Dave Brailsford & co came to visit you in Ibiza and they said: we still want to continue.
"They didn't say 'we want to continue', but: we want to continue. The argument they gave was in short: we have looked at everything and compared everything, but we think we already have the best manager in house.
"Then I said: then we have to discuss a number of things about how we will interact with each other and work together. We had a good, honest, but also confrontational conversation about this. As it should be at the top."
You were then also in a position to make demands.
"I have given my view on the season, on the situation as it was at United. And I indicated which path we should take in my opinion. You have to be very honest with each other about that. And then it's about: are you coming together or not? I also said to them at the time: if you think this is not the way to go, then we should just split up."
One of the conditions you set was in your staff, because you essentially changed it. René Hake, Ruud van Nistelrooij and Jelle ten Rouwelaar were added for a reason.
“If you want to get better, you have to innovate. Yes, we have looked closely at that. But when it comes to Mitchell van der Gaag, for example, with whom I have worked fantastically, things were a little different. He wanted to become a head coach again. Then that is the time to break up."
Do you see a risk in gathering many Dutch people around you?
“I look at quality. This is the Premier League. Not only do you look at the absolute top when composing your group of players, this also applies to the coaches, specialists and staff members. In almost the entire English top management you see that managers surround themselves with international top players, often people with whom they have a relationship of trust or who they already know.
“It was no different at Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp and now under Arne Slot. But you see it everywhere. At Manchester City, at Arsenal, at Spurs, at Aston Villa. Spaniards, Germans, Dutch, Australians, you name it.
“I started looking for people who I know are good. Loyalty is also a thing. Ruud van Nistelrooij: a fantastic, experienced coach with United DNA. We have a talented British coach in Darren Fletcher. René was someone with the same profile as Mitchell had: a very good and experienced, analytically strong field coach. And Jelle ten Rouwelaar has trained three Dutch internationals, including Bart Verbruggen. With his innovative training material, he is one of the great talents when it comes to modern goalkeeper training."
Was your old club Ajax still angry that you took Ten Rouwelaar away?
"They weren't happy about that, no. I understand that too, I found that annoying too. But I had already spoken extensively with Jelle in February and March. Because many things were still uncertain at the time, including my own position, I could not yet make firm agreements about this. I am happy that Ajax ultimately cooperated to make this possible."
“It's a bit of improvisation,” says Erik ten Hag apologetically. Earlier in the afternoon we were given a tour of Carrington, Manchester United's famous training complex south of the city. The large main building where the first team normally resides is fenced off with construction fencing. It will be completely demolished in the coming weeks.
"That's why we joined the academy for this year. The main building will be completely replaced and renovated this year."
In a sense it is also a symbolic renovation. Because it was not the case that 'The first team building' at Carrington was stuck together with adhesive tape and was completely outdated. In fact, it was modernized six years ago. But in the context of the Premier League it was no longer one of the most modern, super-luxury complexes in England.
The new owner and Ineos billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe therefore immediately threw fifty million pounds at it to give Carrington not a four-star, but a maximum five-star appearance. “That fits exactly with the ambitions that Ineos has for United,” Ten Hag also sees. “They strive for the best of the best in everything.”
That the Dutchman himself is still a participant in that future was certainly not a given this summer. After a dramatic season in the Premier League, ending with an eighth place and an inglorious journey through the Champions League, his job was a topic of discussion in May. The Ineos top weighed and weighed. In the weeks shortly before and after the FA Cup final win against Manchester City on May 25 (2-1), rumors, doubts and uncertainty reigned.
What did all that do to you, in that week before Wembley?
Ten Hag: “You have influence on many things, but on some you don't. There was so much going on at that stage. But I still firmly believed that we could win that final. The most important thing of all was to convey that belief to my team. I had to be careful that the entire environment did not become negative in advance. And that that was also in the minds of the players."
But wasn't it also about your own position? Before and after the final you worked hard, more than you had ever done at United.
"I wasn't really concerned with that, though. My position left me completely indifferent."
That's almost impossible, isn't it?
“I wanted to win. If United's management find someone tomorrow who they think is better, then I'll go. It's that simple. Those are the mechanisms in football that you have to respect. At a club like this, but also at Bayern Munich and Ajax, it is crystal clear: if you don't win, you have a problem."
Why did you win so little last season?
“That was a sum of factors. The first thing I have always done is analyze myself: what have I left behind? But there were a number of crucial things over which I had no influence, such as the enormous number of injuries. I know that the arrows were also aimed at me in that respect, but it doesn't work that way."
How was it put together?
Ten Hag thinks for a moment. Within the medical staff and performance department, United have now appointed a new doctor (Gary O'Driscoll) and a new head of physiotherapy (Jordan Reece), both from Arsenal. Ten Hag: "It had nothing to do with the intensity of my training, because you train and play here every three days. That started in my first season.
"If you see the program we had at the time, with 61 matches, not to mention all the matches that my players played for their national teams: that is simply bizarre. That's really too much. We are not the only team that struggled with injuries, other clubs had the same. Last season we were constantly in the same positions, all at the back. At one point we had almost no defenders available."
But isn't that unimaginable, especially at a club that has invested hundreds of millions in players in the last ten years?
“When we started here, United hadn't won a trophy for six years and it really wasn't because they didn't have good managers here. It does say something about the composition and quality of the player group. I knew that when I started, of course. Only: they were long-term commitments.
“We were and still are in that process. If you compare our selection with other top clubs in the Premier League, we are certainly a lot less in terms of breadth. That is exactly why we found it so difficult to deal with those injuries.”
Immediately after winning the FA Cup final you went on holiday. Was it clear to you then what the sequel would be?
,,No. Except that I still had a year left on my contract. But if at some point communication decreases, you will of course feel it. That was clear: there was less communication during that period. While before that it was always there, and good too. Communication increasingly had to come from me. Even after the final.”
What do you conclude from that?
“Well, I just went on holiday and did my thing. We have prepared the last things for the new season, in a professional manner. The preparation program, the design of the selection, that kind of thing. And then you go on holiday, away from the situation, because it was a very tough season. By far the toughest season I have experienced as a trainer."
What did that do to you personally?
“You get tired, especially at the end. Then you have to ensure that you maintain the sharpness. Let's face it: you lose too many matches, it just takes strength to keep the team focused and motivated every time. The players are disappointed, the people around you are disappointed.
"This is a very big club, a lot of people work here. These people also become disappointed, a negative mood arises. As a manager you have to keep giving the energy. That takes strength, of course."
As a manager, do you also have a coach yourself?
“Not in the sense of a personal coach. But I do have people who support me, people who help me a lot. My wife, my family, my agent, my friends. I regularly act as a sounding board."
Do you come home exhausted every day? Because of course it was a shitty season, to put it bluntly.
Laughing: “That was it. I'm not allowed to say it like that, but you can. And that's exactly what it was. If you don't win, everything takes more energy. After the Cup Final I got energy again, but the first week after a season you just have little resistance. Then you're done.
"This is a job in which you may make a thousand decisions a day. Every day. And it goes on and on, at a breakneck pace. I understand Jürgen Klopp very well that after nine years at Liverpool he says: it's over now, I don't have the energy anymore. This is really a tough job.”
But then you had such a tough season. Then you first go to Twente and then to Ibiza, but you hardly hear anything from the club management. That's strange, isn't it?
“Yes, communication broke down. But I was just celebrating holidays with my loved ones, and I let things happen. I have no influence on that."
But isn't that very strange? These were the Ineos people with whom you had worked very intensively for months, who saw you as an ideal candidate to shape their project, even when the results were not good. And then suddenly the line is dead.
“Of course that is a strange state of affairs. But it's not like I panicked. Why? It's a decision that was out of my hands. I just waited it out. At that moment you just think in two scenarios: either we continue or not. It's that simple and I'm level-headed enough to look at it that way.”
But during that period, did you never think 'figure it all out, I'll stop myself'?
"This may sound a bit clinical, but I think about these kinds of things in the process. And if you know how processes run, you know that the line often goes up, but due to circumstances it also sometimes goes down. If you know what you are doing, if you know which direction you want to go and base your decisions on that, in the purest possible way.
“If you put in place the right structures and work well together based on clear lines. If you also have a good relationship with the players, with the people on the work floor. Then you know that things will get better again.
“That also adds up to my football vision. If you look at my career, I have almost always gotten the most out of my teams for ten years. From Go Ahead Eagles to now here at United. And almost always won a prize. That gives me a certain peace. Ultimately, success also came to United, although that was late in the season. As difficult as it was, we did win a prize. In all those years before we came, that had always failed."
So a season like last season doesn't make you feel insecure?
,,No. Don't get me wrong: I'm not perfect. But as long as I continue to reflect on myself every day, continue to develop and challenge myself to reach a higher level, I am convinced that this will ultimately lead to success. In the Premier League - and that is the great thing about this competition - everyone is good.
"Here are the best managers, with the best structures and organizations behind them, working with the best players. So you have to be really good.”
And then Ineos CEO Dave Brailsford & co came to visit you in Ibiza and they said: we still want to continue.
"They didn't say 'we want to continue', but: we want to continue. The argument they gave was in short: we have looked at everything and compared everything, but we think we already have the best manager in house.
"Then I said: then we have to discuss a number of things about how we will interact with each other and work together. We had a good, honest, but also confrontational conversation about this. As it should be at the top."
You were then also in a position to make demands.
"I have given my view on the season, on the situation as it was at United. And I indicated which path we should take in my opinion. You have to be very honest with each other about that. And then it's about: are you coming together or not? I also said to them at the time: if you think this is not the way to go, then we should just split up."
One of the conditions you set was in your staff, because you essentially changed it. René Hake, Ruud van Nistelrooij and Jelle ten Rouwelaar were added for a reason.
“If you want to get better, you have to innovate. Yes, we have looked closely at that. But when it comes to Mitchell van der Gaag, for example, with whom I have worked fantastically, things were a little different. He wanted to become a head coach again. Then that is the time to break up."
Do you see a risk in gathering many Dutch people around you?
“I look at quality. This is the Premier League. Not only do you look at the absolute top when composing your group of players, this also applies to the coaches, specialists and staff members. In almost the entire English top management you see that managers surround themselves with international top players, often people with whom they have a relationship of trust or who they already know.
“It was no different at Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp and now under Arne Slot. But you see it everywhere. At Manchester City, at Arsenal, at Spurs, at Aston Villa. Spaniards, Germans, Dutch, Australians, you name it.
“I started looking for people who I know are good. Loyalty is also a thing. Ruud van Nistelrooij: a fantastic, experienced coach with United DNA. We have a talented British coach in Darren Fletcher. René was someone with the same profile as Mitchell had: a very good and experienced, analytically strong field coach. And Jelle ten Rouwelaar has trained three Dutch internationals, including Bart Verbruggen. With his innovative training material, he is one of the great talents when it comes to modern goalkeeper training."
Was your old club Ajax still angry that you took Ten Rouwelaar away?
"They weren't happy about that, no. I understand that too, I found that annoying too. But I had already spoken extensively with Jelle in February and March. Because many things were still uncertain at the time, including my own position, I could not yet make firm agreements about this. I am happy that Ajax ultimately cooperated to make this possible."
In a major and exclusive interview with this site, Erik ten Hag looks ahead to the coming season. About the many Dutch people at Old Trafford, the arrival of Arne Slot to England, the purchasing policy and the future. “Whether a player comes from the Netherlands or Russia, it is about quality.”
Erik ten Hag is standing in the stairwell in the temporary main building of Carrington training complex. The Manchester United manager trained with his team earlier in the day, at the start of the season preparation, on the unparalleled, neatly mowed training field a little further away. It was raining, as it often does in Manchester.
“Casemiro gave a ball this morning, on Hannibal Mejbri: unbelievable.” Ten Hag turns his body slightly to explain how it went. He makes a gesture with his arm as if he is razor-sharply throwing a Frisbee. “Zzjoeff,” says Ten Hag, laughing with pleasure. "Casemiro's pass was so tight, so technically beautiful, so perfect at speed. That's pure enjoyment."
Here speaks the pure enthusiast Ten Hag, the former footballer from Haaksbergen who suddenly found himself one beautiful day at Old Trafford, the theater of dreams, at one of the most illustrious clubs in the world.
"Every time I step out of the tunnel at Old Trafford, I enjoy it," says Ten Hag. "Then I take in everything for a minute: the people, those stands, the history, the singing. Even when we play our away games with United, by the way. Anfield, Craven Cottage, Stamford Bridge. So much history, so much atmosphere. If you can no longer enjoy that, you better stop immediately."
Next season, Ten Hag will also meet Arne Slot from Bergentheim in that setting, in the largest competition in the world. “We have played against each other before, of course, but I think that is really great,” says Ten Hag. “Also for Dutch football, for our trainer training. I think the fact that there are now two Dutch managers at the helm at Liverpool and Manchester United is fantastic for our football."
Slot and Ten Hag have not called or texted yet. “No, we haven't had contact yet, but that will happen. But I think we give each other everything. It is fantastic what Arne has achieved at Feyenoord, how he has helped that club get back on track. And the football that Liverpool prefers to play also suits Arne Slot completely. I think it's a very good match."
In a sense, Slot comes to Liverpool in a staggered position. The structure that stands there after the Jürgen Klopp years, the group of players: that is incomparable to when you started at United in mid-2022. At United everything had to be different.
,,Beats. And I think we have made progress since then, otherwise we would not have won two trophies. But we have not yet reached the point where there is a 'winning culture' here in every respect. Our standards, our norms and values, still need to be raised. In many areas. Does this club want to get back to where it was over ten years ago, to a club that wins the Premier League, that can win Champions Leagues. We are still a long way from that, I think."
So your predecessor Ralf Rangnick was right when he said in April 2022 that Manchester United did not need cosmetic surgery, but open heart surgery?
“Rangnick was absolutely right. We have been working very hard on this for two years, but he said it exactly right: it is a thorough, very complex operation. And I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job. There are a lot of people who have advised me against it. Yes, also Louis van Gaal."
Are you still shocked? In the sense that what you found was even worse than you thought in advance?
"Don't be shocked. But the culture, the mentality was really not good. To win, to really achieve top performances every week, we had to change a lot. That was almost integral to him in the club. In a top sports environment, everyone works to the highest standards. Here they had drifted away from that, I noticed that from day one. Success doesn't just happen. You have to fight for that.
“Rinus Michels already said: football is war. But that is also true, perhaps even more so in modern top football than in the past. Because that competitor never sleeps, he wants to outdo you. That requires certain behavior from the people in your organization, from the players, from everyone. Everyone has to be at the top, and everyone has to be convinced that you have to do it together."
Has that become more difficult these days? Really do things together?
“That's not always easy, no. In a broader sense, this generation of footballers is becoming increasingly selfish. Top players have all built an entire BV around themselves. From physios, personal trainers, media advisors, agents, families who have to eat with us. There are so many people around it with interests, with their own interests. As a manager you have to deal with all that. To get everyone moving in the same direction is not easy.”
Last year you said goodbye to Jadon Sancho, who then had an excellent six months at Borussia Dortmund. Are you going to accept him back into grace?
"We spoke well. Everyone can make a mistake. If the player reflects on this well, you draw a line and move on. This club needs good players, and one thing is certain: Jadon Sancho is a very good player. I hope that we will still click and that he will contribute to our success.”
How difficult were the past two years, if you compare that with Ajax? There too you had to break through a certain culture.
“It is much more complex here. Everything here is 'times ten'. And that is partly why the problem was even deeper here, at all levels of the club. It can no longer be compared to Go Ahead. I did everything there myself when I came in, I wore all hats at the same time. At FC Utrecht and Ajax it became very different, much bigger. But United is really a different order.”
What does that require of a manager and an organization?
“Good, strong leadership really helps with this. They can create the conditions to safeguard the right culture. As a manager you ultimately depend on that. Basically, I have to be concerned above all with making the right formation and choosing the right tactics. That is already a hell of a job at this level. Over the past two years I have had to deal with a lot of things. You want to influence things, improve things.”
When INEOS came in, after taking over from Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Christmas Eve 2023, they made it clear that that was the first thing they wanted to change.
,,Certainly. And I soon noticed that we could strengthen each other in this, that we had the same vision. But this is not a speedboat, this is a mammoth tanker. We now have to get the tanker in the right direction together, and then get up to speed.
“It's about continuing to strengthen each other and raising the bar higher and higher. The new club management is actively working on this, but not everything can be done at the same time. The performance department, the medical staff, the office staff: everything has to be top notch.”
Where does your responsibility begin and end when it comes to transfers?
“We determine the composition of the selection together with the sporting director, and we carry out that process together. We have to agree with each other, otherwise it won't happen. That's how it was at Ajax. Very simple actually. In today's football, as a manager you can no longer scout yourself. It doesn't work that way anymore."
But can you say that there was too much on your plate in the past two years? In the sense that players were referred by you more often than you would have liked?
"That basis has now been greatly strengthened, yes. A lot has been taken away from me in the field of scouting and recruitment. That is also necessary. Especially at this large club you need to have a very strong structure in the field of scouting and transfer policy. I can only be happy that I now have Dan Ashworth (sporting director), Jason Wilcox (technical director) and Christopher Vivell (scouting and transfers) at my side. The club has thus acquired incredible know-how and knowledge of the football market. Knowledge that helps and supports me.”
Do you feel less alone now?
“We have only been working in this new organization, with these new people, for a few weeks. But Ashworth is close by, a room away. I feel and notice in everything that he helps and can help me. The first impressions are very good.”
But you've been at it for two years now. Why has the process been so slow?
“United came out of a situation with a lot of long contracts. That made it complicated to thoroughly refresh and strengthen the selection. When we started, my thought was that this could be solved in roughly six transfer windows. Formally we have now had four transfer periods, but due to the situation surrounding Financial Fair Play we have only been able to actually do business in two periods."
A striking number of players came and are coming from your network. Was that born of necessity?
“Ultimately, all the players who came are a joint decision. This has always been in consultation with the sports director (John Murtough, ed. at the time). Almost all players also came from positive advice from scouting.
"If that happens to be my network, you may see it that way, but I am open to any player that the club puts forward. If that is quality, combined with a good price, then I also agree with that of course. I have never just made decisions about new players on my own, far from it."
To what extent do you have influence on negotiations?
"None, because I never negotiate. So when people say I spent so much money at United: no. The club has done that. They generally keep me informed of the numbers. But I don't know that in detail. What I do know is what the player will earn, because I deal with the hierarchy in the dressing room. But what the transfer fee is, or what the agent earns: I am not involved in any of that."
In that context, let's take a concrete example of Antony, for whom the club paid almost 100 million: that also reflected on you.
"I won't go into every player, but let me explain. In that first transfer window, Mason Greenwood seemed to be an important candidate for that position, right winger. We had virtually no one else there. Jadon Sancho can possibly play on the right, but his most natural position is originally on the left wing.
"So when things went wrong with Greenwood (the young footballer was accused of rape and suspended, ed.), we had to do something. Number 1 on the club's scouting list was Antony. Then 1-and-1 is 2, right? I had a great time working with him for two years. He was the star in almost every Champions League match for Ajax. So at the time it wasn't a bad choice.
"He certainly showed that potential, especially in the first month: he scored three times in his first three games. After that it became more difficult, last season was not good. But I am still convinced that he has the potential to play at this club."
But you might still think about a certain player: 'I think he's good. But I don't think it's worth such a large part of the budget'?
"Yes, but I don't go over the budget. I've never even had a budget. At United, the budgets belong to the owners and management."
After a process of months, INEOS has finally got the structure in order. There are new people on board. Are you now becoming more involved in the broader story of the club, also when it comes to budgets and transfers?
,,Yes. That is something different now. The new owners take me more into the process, what the consequences are of deals you make, what opportunities it offers when you sell a player. It's still premature, our new sporting director Dan Ashworth has only been on board since last week. But the signs when it comes to communication and cooperation are very good.”
Do you take it personally if purchases are not successful? Antony, but also Eriksen or Malacia, for example, came from you.
“I really look at it differently. If you look soberly and analytically at the players we brought in for that first season, I don't think they did that bad at all. Lisandro Martínez: top purchase. Tyrell Malacia in the first season: well done.
“Christian Eriksen, who came on a free transfer: well done. Casemiro in his first season: very good. That shot us into the Champions League. Antony also did reasonably well, he did not often come close to his lower limit in his first season."
But that is not sustainable in the perspective of your second year, is it?
"Last season, players were less in shape, certainly, but there are all kinds of reasons for that. That doesn't mean that they were suddenly all bad purchases after all. Andre Onana also did well after a difficult initial phase. Mason Mount has been almost exclusively injured. The development of Rasmus Hojlund is very positive, also considering his age.
We promoted Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho from the youth academy and gave them opportunities - with great success. The picture is painted that the purchasing and player policy is not good, but I dare to doubt that. Not that I have the illusion of taking away a certain image, but you ask me."
From the outside it still seems to be heading in a 'Dutch' direction. You have now signed Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt is also a very serious option. Isn't that a bit much?
"It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come. But the great thing is: during my holiday I was away from the process for three or four weeks. During that period it was really the club, the newly established scouting and recruitment department, that brought in these players.
“The fact that there are also Dutch people among them is actually a coincidence. Primarily these were players who were brought in from our organization. But of course I support it, let that be clear. And we still make the choice together.”
And so it went with Leny Yoro, who came from Lille? And with intended purchases such as De Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton?
"I will not specifically comment on whether or not to attract those last two names. But any purchases are entirely based on the advice and analyzes of our scouting and recruitment department. That is not surprising, because we know very well what we are looking for within our philosophy, in terms of age structure and playing style.
"Of course I know Matthijs well, I'm not going to deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago, but he had already gone a long way with Bayern Munich. But believe it or not: he did not specifically come up with me in this process.”
Yet the outside world will conclude differently: even more Dutch people.
“I know it creates a certain image, of course I understand how that works. But ultimately the criterion that prevails above all is: is the player good or not good? Does it match in terms of character, age and of course the quality we are looking for. I also understand: if you don't win, such an image will be magnified in the media. But whether a player has blonde, red or black hair. Whether he comes from the Netherlands, Sweden or France.
“Should you let it go, purely because the outside world thinks so? You simply have to make clear considerations together in order to arrive at the best possible selection together. I firmly believe that we are increasingly moving in the right direction - and that we can make a lot of progress next season."
Erik ten Hag is standing in the stairwell in the temporary main building of Carrington training complex. The Manchester United manager trained with his team earlier in the day, at the start of the season preparation, on the unparalleled, neatly mowed training field a little further away. It was raining, as it often does in Manchester.
“Casemiro gave a ball this morning, on Hannibal Mejbri: unbelievable.” Ten Hag turns his body slightly to explain how it went. He makes a gesture with his arm as if he is razor-sharply throwing a Frisbee. “Zzjoeff,” says Ten Hag, laughing with pleasure. "Casemiro's pass was so tight, so technically beautiful, so perfect at speed. That's pure enjoyment."
Here speaks the pure enthusiast Ten Hag, the former footballer from Haaksbergen who suddenly found himself one beautiful day at Old Trafford, the theater of dreams, at one of the most illustrious clubs in the world.
"Every time I step out of the tunnel at Old Trafford, I enjoy it," says Ten Hag. "Then I take in everything for a minute: the people, those stands, the history, the singing. Even when we play our away games with United, by the way. Anfield, Craven Cottage, Stamford Bridge. So much history, so much atmosphere. If you can no longer enjoy that, you better stop immediately."
Next season, Ten Hag will also meet Arne Slot from Bergentheim in that setting, in the largest competition in the world. “We have played against each other before, of course, but I think that is really great,” says Ten Hag. “Also for Dutch football, for our trainer training. I think the fact that there are now two Dutch managers at the helm at Liverpool and Manchester United is fantastic for our football."
Slot and Ten Hag have not called or texted yet. “No, we haven't had contact yet, but that will happen. But I think we give each other everything. It is fantastic what Arne has achieved at Feyenoord, how he has helped that club get back on track. And the football that Liverpool prefers to play also suits Arne Slot completely. I think it's a very good match."
In a sense, Slot comes to Liverpool in a staggered position. The structure that stands there after the Jürgen Klopp years, the group of players: that is incomparable to when you started at United in mid-2022. At United everything had to be different.
,,Beats. And I think we have made progress since then, otherwise we would not have won two trophies. But we have not yet reached the point where there is a 'winning culture' here in every respect. Our standards, our norms and values, still need to be raised. In many areas. Does this club want to get back to where it was over ten years ago, to a club that wins the Premier League, that can win Champions Leagues. We are still a long way from that, I think."
So your predecessor Ralf Rangnick was right when he said in April 2022 that Manchester United did not need cosmetic surgery, but open heart surgery?
“Rangnick was absolutely right. We have been working very hard on this for two years, but he said it exactly right: it is a thorough, very complex operation. And I knew when I started that it was going to be a tough job. There are a lot of people who have advised me against it. Yes, also Louis van Gaal."
Are you still shocked? In the sense that what you found was even worse than you thought in advance?
"Don't be shocked. But the culture, the mentality was really not good. To win, to really achieve top performances every week, we had to change a lot. That was almost integral to him in the club. In a top sports environment, everyone works to the highest standards. Here they had drifted away from that, I noticed that from day one. Success doesn't just happen. You have to fight for that.
“Rinus Michels already said: football is war. But that is also true, perhaps even more so in modern top football than in the past. Because that competitor never sleeps, he wants to outdo you. That requires certain behavior from the people in your organization, from the players, from everyone. Everyone has to be at the top, and everyone has to be convinced that you have to do it together."
Has that become more difficult these days? Really do things together?
“That's not always easy, no. In a broader sense, this generation of footballers is becoming increasingly selfish. Top players have all built an entire BV around themselves. From physios, personal trainers, media advisors, agents, families who have to eat with us. There are so many people around it with interests, with their own interests. As a manager you have to deal with all that. To get everyone moving in the same direction is not easy.”
Last year you said goodbye to Jadon Sancho, who then had an excellent six months at Borussia Dortmund. Are you going to accept him back into grace?
"We spoke well. Everyone can make a mistake. If the player reflects on this well, you draw a line and move on. This club needs good players, and one thing is certain: Jadon Sancho is a very good player. I hope that we will still click and that he will contribute to our success.”
How difficult were the past two years, if you compare that with Ajax? There too you had to break through a certain culture.
“It is much more complex here. Everything here is 'times ten'. And that is partly why the problem was even deeper here, at all levels of the club. It can no longer be compared to Go Ahead. I did everything there myself when I came in, I wore all hats at the same time. At FC Utrecht and Ajax it became very different, much bigger. But United is really a different order.”
What does that require of a manager and an organization?
“Good, strong leadership really helps with this. They can create the conditions to safeguard the right culture. As a manager you ultimately depend on that. Basically, I have to be concerned above all with making the right formation and choosing the right tactics. That is already a hell of a job at this level. Over the past two years I have had to deal with a lot of things. You want to influence things, improve things.”
When INEOS came in, after taking over from Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Christmas Eve 2023, they made it clear that that was the first thing they wanted to change.
,,Certainly. And I soon noticed that we could strengthen each other in this, that we had the same vision. But this is not a speedboat, this is a mammoth tanker. We now have to get the tanker in the right direction together, and then get up to speed.
“It's about continuing to strengthen each other and raising the bar higher and higher. The new club management is actively working on this, but not everything can be done at the same time. The performance department, the medical staff, the office staff: everything has to be top notch.”
Where does your responsibility begin and end when it comes to transfers?
“We determine the composition of the selection together with the sporting director, and we carry out that process together. We have to agree with each other, otherwise it won't happen. That's how it was at Ajax. Very simple actually. In today's football, as a manager you can no longer scout yourself. It doesn't work that way anymore."
But can you say that there was too much on your plate in the past two years? In the sense that players were referred by you more often than you would have liked?
"That basis has now been greatly strengthened, yes. A lot has been taken away from me in the field of scouting and recruitment. That is also necessary. Especially at this large club you need to have a very strong structure in the field of scouting and transfer policy. I can only be happy that I now have Dan Ashworth (sporting director), Jason Wilcox (technical director) and Christopher Vivell (scouting and transfers) at my side. The club has thus acquired incredible know-how and knowledge of the football market. Knowledge that helps and supports me.”
Do you feel less alone now?
“We have only been working in this new organization, with these new people, for a few weeks. But Ashworth is close by, a room away. I feel and notice in everything that he helps and can help me. The first impressions are very good.”
But you've been at it for two years now. Why has the process been so slow?
“United came out of a situation with a lot of long contracts. That made it complicated to thoroughly refresh and strengthen the selection. When we started, my thought was that this could be solved in roughly six transfer windows. Formally we have now had four transfer periods, but due to the situation surrounding Financial Fair Play we have only been able to actually do business in two periods."
A striking number of players came and are coming from your network. Was that born of necessity?
“Ultimately, all the players who came are a joint decision. This has always been in consultation with the sports director (John Murtough, ed. at the time). Almost all players also came from positive advice from scouting.
"If that happens to be my network, you may see it that way, but I am open to any player that the club puts forward. If that is quality, combined with a good price, then I also agree with that of course. I have never just made decisions about new players on my own, far from it."
To what extent do you have influence on negotiations?
"None, because I never negotiate. So when people say I spent so much money at United: no. The club has done that. They generally keep me informed of the numbers. But I don't know that in detail. What I do know is what the player will earn, because I deal with the hierarchy in the dressing room. But what the transfer fee is, or what the agent earns: I am not involved in any of that."
In that context, let's take a concrete example of Antony, for whom the club paid almost 100 million: that also reflected on you.
"I won't go into every player, but let me explain. In that first transfer window, Mason Greenwood seemed to be an important candidate for that position, right winger. We had virtually no one else there. Jadon Sancho can possibly play on the right, but his most natural position is originally on the left wing.
"So when things went wrong with Greenwood (the young footballer was accused of rape and suspended, ed.), we had to do something. Number 1 on the club's scouting list was Antony. Then 1-and-1 is 2, right? I had a great time working with him for two years. He was the star in almost every Champions League match for Ajax. So at the time it wasn't a bad choice.
"He certainly showed that potential, especially in the first month: he scored three times in his first three games. After that it became more difficult, last season was not good. But I am still convinced that he has the potential to play at this club."
But you might still think about a certain player: 'I think he's good. But I don't think it's worth such a large part of the budget'?
"Yes, but I don't go over the budget. I've never even had a budget. At United, the budgets belong to the owners and management."
After a process of months, INEOS has finally got the structure in order. There are new people on board. Are you now becoming more involved in the broader story of the club, also when it comes to budgets and transfers?
,,Yes. That is something different now. The new owners take me more into the process, what the consequences are of deals you make, what opportunities it offers when you sell a player. It's still premature, our new sporting director Dan Ashworth has only been on board since last week. But the signs when it comes to communication and cooperation are very good.”
Do you take it personally if purchases are not successful? Antony, but also Eriksen or Malacia, for example, came from you.
“I really look at it differently. If you look soberly and analytically at the players we brought in for that first season, I don't think they did that bad at all. Lisandro Martínez: top purchase. Tyrell Malacia in the first season: well done.
“Christian Eriksen, who came on a free transfer: well done. Casemiro in his first season: very good. That shot us into the Champions League. Antony also did reasonably well, he did not often come close to his lower limit in his first season."
But that is not sustainable in the perspective of your second year, is it?
"Last season, players were less in shape, certainly, but there are all kinds of reasons for that. That doesn't mean that they were suddenly all bad purchases after all. Andre Onana also did well after a difficult initial phase. Mason Mount has been almost exclusively injured. The development of Rasmus Hojlund is very positive, also considering his age.
We promoted Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho from the youth academy and gave them opportunities - with great success. The picture is painted that the purchasing and player policy is not good, but I dare to doubt that. Not that I have the illusion of taking away a certain image, but you ask me."
From the outside it still seems to be heading in a 'Dutch' direction. You have now signed Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt is also a very serious option. Isn't that a bit much?
"It remains to be seen whether De Ligt will come. But the great thing is: during my holiday I was away from the process for three or four weeks. During that period it was really the club, the newly established scouting and recruitment department, that brought in these players.
“The fact that there are also Dutch people among them is actually a coincidence. Primarily these were players who were brought in from our organization. But of course I support it, let that be clear. And we still make the choice together.”
And so it went with Leny Yoro, who came from Lille? And with intended purchases such as De Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite from Everton?
"I will not specifically comment on whether or not to attract those last two names. But any purchases are entirely based on the advice and analyzes of our scouting and recruitment department. That is not surprising, because we know very well what we are looking for within our philosophy, in terms of age structure and playing style.
"Of course I know Matthijs well, I'm not going to deny that. I wanted to sign him two years ago, but he had already gone a long way with Bayern Munich. But believe it or not: he did not specifically come up with me in this process.”
Yet the outside world will conclude differently: even more Dutch people.
“I know it creates a certain image, of course I understand how that works. But ultimately the criterion that prevails above all is: is the player good or not good? Does it match in terms of character, age and of course the quality we are looking for. I also understand: if you don't win, such an image will be magnified in the media. But whether a player has blonde, red or black hair. Whether he comes from the Netherlands, Sweden or France.
“Should you let it go, purely because the outside world thinks so? You simply have to make clear considerations together in order to arrive at the best possible selection together. I firmly believe that we are increasingly moving in the right direction - and that we can make a lot of progress next season."
Super in depth and interesting interview, was really surprised about how candid Ten Hag was willing to be here, especially in part 2. Talks about the struggles at Man United, preparation for the FA Cup final and the challenge of making the players believe they could win, how he felt a bit isolated when he first came to the club in terms of how big the job is and how little support he felt he had, his early (quite positive) impression of Dan Ashworth and their working relationship, how he feels the playing squad at United is not of the standard needed to compete for the biggest titles, how he felt the working culture at United was also not that of an elite sporting institution when he first came in, basically confirms interest in De Ligt (and says he wanted to bring De Ligt in during his first summer), also is quite candid about Antony not working out and not being good enough last season (but he still has faith in his ability) and is quite open and critical about the structure at the club when he first came in. Also seems to basically confirm the speculation that Ineos left him out to dry during the 'season review' and they had quite a positive, but "confrontational" talk before agreeing to continue. Also confirms Laurie Whitwell's report that the change in coaching staff was his idea. Some of my main takeaways from the interview -
On the lack of communication from Ineos after the final -
On the conversation with Brailsford in Ibiza about continuing this season -
On choosing the new coaching staff -
On previous managers failing at United and what it says about the quality of the playing staff-
Ralf Rangnick was right in his assessment of what needs to change at United -
On the new structure at United -
On why it has been difficult at United to turn things around -
Thoughts?
Last edited:
. I've actually never seen this kind of thing in the years of watching football.