Erik ten Hag is part of the long list of coaches passed by Manchester United (from July 2022 to October 2024) who failed to right the Mancunian ship. Now manager at Twente, the former coach of the Red Devils returned in detail to his time in the north-west of England in the columns of The Athletic. And the least we can say is that the 56-year-old Dutch technician does not have lasting memories of his collaboration with the management of the club dear to Sir Alex Ferguson. From the outset, Erik ten Hag explains that he felt betrayed by his superiors.
Broken promises and an unmanageable CR7
“I wouldn’t have continued if I only had a year left. So I told them: “I need another year and we have to get there together”. They promised me their loyalty, support, good communication and coordination between us. We discussed the problems. But they did not keep their promises. » Among the broken promises, the sale of Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay particularly marked the Dutchman. “That’s why I was disappointed. In Ibiza we agreed. I said: “we don’t sell Scott McTominay”. We were going to act together during the transfer window. I made an argument: we lacked scoring ability. Scott brings this offensive efficiency and an excellent state of mind. He has Manchester United in his blood. So when they brought up the subject, I said “no”. And in the end, they sold it. I was of course very embarrassed and disappointed. »
Since then, McTominay has shined in the colors of Napoli, while his replacement at the Red Devils, Manuel Ugarte, is having a very complicated start. The transfer window was not the only delicate subject to manage for Ten Hag. A few months after his arrival, MU formalized the big return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford. A comeback which quickly turned sour, the Portuguese quickly entering into conflict with his trainer. And for the Batavian coach, CR7 bears a great responsibility. “He let the team down, and he let me down, because we made plans around him. I went to Portugal to talk to him about my goals before joining Manchester United. Obviously, he is one of the best players in the history of football. I respected him enormously. But at that moment, as a coach, I had to make a rational decision and rely on players who were fully invested,” he confided, before continuing.
Varane and Casemiro also singled out
“I told him several times: ‘Ronnie, everyone wants to work to put you in a good position, but if you can’t get yourself in the box, you can’t score.’ He wasn’t capable of it. It’s a misconception to blame me for expecting him to do dry cleaning on the pretext that he was exhausted. He was neither running with possession of the ball nor without the ball. The reason was that he hadn’t prepared. Every great team must support its best player, but the best player must work for the team. He told the players: “save your legs in training”. I understand that when you’re at the top of your game; we adapt our sessions. But you first need to train to reach the required fitness level. »
Finally, if Erik ten Hag retains a stubborn bitterness, it is also because he accuses the Portuguese and two of his former teammates at Real Madrid, Raphaël Varane and Casemiro, of having distilled a bad mentality into the locker room. “I think that’s what the “Madrilenian connection” brought: players who have power and want to make the decisions. In my opinion, this did not correspond to the phase that Manchester United were in. The management wanted attacking and dynamic football, while these players wanted to play a game that suited them. »
