It may not quite be 'the hairdryer' but the ten Hag isn't messing about
New manager
Erik ten Hag is filling some
Manchester United fans with a rare dose of added faith after more footage of his hounding even some of the squad's youngest players for mistakes in training.
The Dutchman not only seems to have very high standards of his own but it looks as though he also expects a certain level of intensity and quality from the players at his new club, in particular.
One particular clip of him telling youth player
Zidane Iqbal to "keep the ball on the floor" and labelling his execution as "f***ing rubbish" has caught the attention of many on social media.
https://twitter.com/UtdFaithfuls/status/1550113950259298306?s=20&t=faW7dRRwgZ0pvDRPaZ7NuQ
Having only made his first-team debut for a cameo back in December 202, the 19-year-old has barely begun to transition into the senior squad and while he has already impressed in his appearances against on the Red Devils 2022 tour, it would seem ten Hag is letting players rest on their laurels or ride out good moments even for one second.
While previous coaches like interim manager
Ralf Rangnick and, of course,
Jose Mourinho had their own reputations when it came to how they wanted to play and deploying strict standards in both training and on matchday, many United still feel like the club culture has been a far cry away from the days of
Sir Alex Ferguson.
That being said, they've been lapping this footage up and it's fair to say that some are already getting a little swept up in the all excitement:
https://twitter.com/ericant87272705/status/1550119850239877120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1550119850239877120%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Ferik-ten-hag-rips-into-man-utd-star-zidane-iqbal-20220721
https://twitter.com/JackyHenchman/status/1550109478044872704?s=20&t=faW7dRRwgZ0pvDRPaZ7NuQ
He's even had them doing push-ups as punishment for conceding goals in pre-match training:
https://twitter.com/RedRoca04/status/1546643601962434561?s=20&t=5H2QQ5mN--jRthZ8g0BknQ
He's been putting on similar displays all pre-season
But by no means are they the only ones to receive the same no-nonsense treatment, however. The 52-year-old was caught screaming at 20-year-old winger
Anthony Elanga during United's second pre-season game against Melbourne Victory for failing to make a run and other players for not being more direct on the counter and in build-up play.
https://twitter.com/TenSlag/status/1548389227318022144?s=20&t=5H2QQ5mN--jRthZ8g0BknQ
Moreover, this week footage of him dishing out similar criticism of
Jadon Sancho went viral and he even asked club veteran and four-time POTY award-winner David De Gea "what the f*ck are you doing?" following some
decision making he was less than happy with.
https://twitter.com/FootballJOE/status/1549337369798742017?s=20&t=faW7dRRwgZ0pvDRPaZ7NuQ
On the other hand, he also looks to be spending time on the other side of man management also, with footage of him having what looks to be a calmer yet still constructive chat with youngster
Hannibal Mejbri and literally putting his
arm around Charlie Savage also appearing online:
https://twitter.com/UnitedStandMUFC/status/1549994593764003840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1549994593764003840%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportbible.com%2Ffootball%2Ferik-ten-hag-rips-into-man-utd-star-zidane-iqbal-20220721
Regardless of some fans' optimism and some promising pre-season performances, it remains to be seen how United will shape up when the Premier League kicks off in August.
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