Erik ten Hag exclusive: Man Utd transfer plans, relationship with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and opening the foundation | Football news

It wasn’t an attempt to steer the conversation when Erik ten Hag said the saga over his future had been going on for so long that he had long lost his thoughts, emotions and coping mechanisms when his status as Man Utd manager was uncertain. .

So much has happened since then, the phone has moved on so much that there is no time to re-examine things that were considered closed. United’s present and future require maximum energy, so they feel it is counterproductive to waste some of that energy on problems they have already solved.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports NewsTen Hag revealed details of his relationship with the club’s new football leadership structure, his ambitions for recruitment and game model, as well as turning his incredible FA Cup final performance against Manchester City into the norm…

Erik, it was a very difficult last season, an uncertain summer, but there is a different feel, look and vibe at Manchester United, this pre-season. It is very positive and energetic…

That. Yes, we are on the job and won two trophies, but we want to build and we need the right energy. We need the right passion and struggle and good ideas to do this.

Is part of the reason for this positive, the fact that the football leadership team is new and you and your coaching staff seem to be building this relationship during the preseason? We’ve seen Sir Dave Brailsford, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox in training sessions, talking to you. Sounds like a supportive relationship and an open working relationship?

Yes, that’s right. And we just started and it has to get really come together. But we have a good start. We already have a good foundation and we work hard together and it is the foundation to achieve success.

Can you give us an idea of ​​the relationship? How did you spend your pre-season? Do you eat together? How do you discuss recruitment? Do we have to have meetings or can you talk openly?

This happens in many different structures. Sometimes informal, some formal. We are on the road; we have meals, always together very strong communication with each other so that everyone knows where we are. We create a vision about our club and our team.

It’s not the best start to the relationship – so how do you get from the point where the new leadership structure sees another manager, then decides to keep you in, and now you’re traveling and building? Do you have to be quite up front with them and say, ‘Listen, if this is possible, we have to be honest with each other. We need to communicate.’ Do you have to say all that in Ibiza?

He knows and has experience in different groups, in different sports, art and business. Then he realizes that if you’re not together, you don’t get the success you want. And we are very ambitious, so we have to unite and in that unity we have to fight together because we have to be an example for the players and the team.

What we see is a lot of change from Manchester United in different approaches. And one of them is recruitment. It seems to be more aggressive, more proactive, but also more in line with the profile of the player who can actually carry out his vision on the field.

So you have to be aligned and we want to be proactive and we want to attract players who can execute our game model. Well, from profiling, we get the right players and it’s a daily process. It’s a continuous process both in windows, but also between windows. But yes, that is an area that needs to be developed.

You talked about the profile there. One of the things you mentioned was the balance between the squads on the left and the right. Do you still like the left back?

We have left-backs with Luke Shaw, Licha Martinez…

Do you have enough?

We’re always looking to cap the depth of our squad at all positions where we can double up, because we know going into the season it’s survival of the fittest. But must be the right player and finance, FFP all fits. We have to think about these things otherwise we can’t bring a good team on the field.

One of the things that can affect recruiting is injuries. Leny Yoro at least three months. Will it change your mind in any way?

Not. We have a clear plan. We know what to do. Injuries are part of the process. You can’t avoid it because of top football, you will be strong and it will happen. Then you need a squad that can cover this.

We have talked about the positives about Manchester United, but 33 minutes into the opening game of the tour, there were two injuries. How do you keep the message that, ‘okay, those are two setbacks, but we’re not going to let that drive the agenda?’

Because we know what we’re doing and what direction we’re going and we know exactly the leadership, the coaching staff, the place we want to go, and yes, setbacks are also part of the process, but we have to be. ready to deal with setbacks and we need a plan in need that can cover these setbacks.

In this restructuring that has taken place, you have replaced a lot of your coaching staff. What did you notice from the introductions of Rene Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy in particular?

So first of all, I am very grateful to those who left us and they are all different.

What is difficult? For him to go – especially with Van der Gaag, because you’ve been working together for so long?

I am so grateful for what you have done for us. But he wants to be the other way, he wants to be a head coach. The same with Steve McLaren, which is good for them, but also for me for our good process to go to the next level. We need new ideas, new energy, new dynamics, and that will help us inspire the team and take it to the next level.

There seems to be a big focus on making sure that there are repetitive movements and movements that the players, without thinking, will be able to do on the field. Is one of the goals for this season to be automatic, especially in the offensive pattern?

confident. And we, we’re building the foundation and it’s actually not detailed yet. It’s just the basics and football is a very complicated sport, especially at the top. And now we are building the movements and details of the attack which is very important to score goals. There is much work to be done, but we have built the foundation.

Some of the attacking play we saw against Real Betis was excellent. Do you like that? The combination and especially with the performance of Amad?

I think the team has done very well. We are trying to build a structure, but I will not say it is perfect. And while the resistance will be higher and the intensity will increase, we need to do it faster and build better relationships in the field to connect properly. But then again, we have a preseason. We are getting into structure and now we have to go faster. And as you say, it should be a way of life – automatic.

You seem on a personal level now, more relaxed, lighter, freer this pre-season. Is it because you feel extra security at the club now? The support and the fact that there is a structure to help you help United get better along with this reinvigoration for the coaching staff?

I was calm last year too.

You think so? Last season was stressful.

No, but in pre-season we talked about it. Last season we had a lot of setbacks and of course when you get a setback, everything around you becomes negative. And still, I think I’m pretty positive. I thought I brought some energy all the time and calmness, but also calmness in the team and in the club. And I try to motivate you all the time. It’s not easy when you have a lot of setbacks and when a lot of people are disappointed because of setbacks from injuries and then certainly setbacks from results. But we keep believing and in the end we are rewarded.

Is it taxing to be Manchester United manager? Because you’re talking about a negative spiral and sometimes when it starts, it seems like there’s no end to the sound?

Well, you need perseverance, but I’m used to it. Because I have had some experience in Ajax, even the club before Utrecht really at a small level, but also very toxic. So I know how to deal with this, know how to manage this. Hopefully we can avoid it, but if not, we’ll have to deal with it.

You talk about resilience, but we are all only human. And no matter how bold we can be, something affects us. Was it difficult for you to be in the position you were last season, preparing for the FA Cup final and having all the speculation that you were going to be sacked whether you won or not?

I know what I’m doing. At times like that, I know that I’m with the coaching staff, with my players, we’re aligned. I know we have a strong belief to win the trophy. And I think this is the result because there is a strong foundation. There is a strong belief that we can beat the best teams in the world.

Where does this belief come from and how did it happen? Because what we saw during the season from United and then what happened in the FA Cup final are like two different worlds.

Yes, but there are also some amazing performances. We have been very high and very low. The challenge is to avoid this, to be more consistent, but this team can play at a high level. Now we need a culture, we need a mentality, and to do it consistently. And every week, every day, that’s right.

Many players have said they want FA Cup final performances to become the norm.

This is only possible when the player has this attitude, when this should be the norm, when this is the standard. And I think that day, they grew above that level, but now they know that we can be at that level as individuals and as a team. Now we have to get this more, (be) more consistent. There you have to work, but it starts with the right mentality every day.