Erik ten Hag aims to build a swift and aggressive Man United
BANGKOK - Erik ten Hag wants his Manchester United side to be quick on the ball and even quicker off it. And the newly appointed manager is not wasting any time in ensuring that he whips his players into shape to adopt his philosophy.
At the Rajamangala Stadium, where United held their first public training session in the ten Hag era on Monday (July 11), it was clear to see what the 52-year-old wants out of his Red Devils when the new English Premier League season kicks off next month.
With at least 10,000 spectators watching the proceedings, which preceded Liverpool's training session, the Dutchman held multiple training drills focusing on moving the ball quickly and accurately while also recovering the ball swiftly once possession is lost.
First, ten Hag's men - who were separated into two groups of about 10 players each - participated in a quick-passing drill confined to an area no larger than the six-yard box. The idea was to move the ball swiftly in a compact space, without it being intercepted by an opponent.
Next, they moved on to a training drill that pitted eight players against six. At one point, ten Hag unleashed a verbal volley towards Brazilian midfielder Fred when it was deemed that he had taken one touch too many.
This is a far cry from the laboured build-up and uncoordinated defending that was seen far too often from the Old Trafford outfit last season. United - whose official spirits partner is Chivas Regal - finished sixth with 58 points from 38 matches in the last campaign.
Ten Hag, who was appointed in April, takes charge of his first United game on Tuesday (July 12), against arch rivals Liverpool in a pre-season friendly at the same venue. He is likely to be without midfielder Scott McTominay and defenders Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire.
Frenchman Varane and McTominay were absent from the 1.5-hour training session on Monday while Maguire - who was confirmed as the captain for the new campaign earlier in the day - trained separately from the main squad.
But eight players may well figure prominently in ten Hag's plans. In a sign that they could form the core of the first XI, ten Hag spent a long portion of the training session working closely with Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Fred, Bruno Fernandes, Donny van de Beek, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
Fred was charged with starting attacks as the deepest lying midfielder, Dalot and Shaw provided the width as fullbacks, van de Beek and Fernandes acted as attacking midfielders, Rashford and Sancho were wide attackers while Martial led the line.
Midway through the drill, newly signed left-back Tyrell Malacia and Aaron Wan-Bissaka replaced Shaw and Dalot.
But don't expect any favouritism from ten Hag nor any quick fixes.
When the eight players conceded a goal during the drill after failing to press collectively, a glare from the coach meant they knew automatically what was coming. Instantly, they hit the floor and did 10 push-ups each.
And then they got up, and the passing and pressing continued like clockwork.
This is ten Hag's army and only the swiftest will survive.
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