Manchester United players will have likely felt Erik ten Hag’s wrath on more than one occasion in a season where they lost 14 games by the New Year. And while one of Ten Hag’s former stars has hailed his coaching ability, he’s sent a warning about the Dutchman’s ruthless streak if his instructions go ignored.
The 53-year-old has brought a disciplinarian approach to Old Trafford as he looks to fix the “bad culture” he inherited in 2022, which rubs onto his desired style of play.
Across his two years in charge, Ten Hag has made it clear that players won’t feature in his plans if they don’t follow his instructions or meet his standards.
Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo are among those to have been on the wrong end of his demands.
And former Utrecht player David Jensen has revealed that Ten Hag has adhered to the same strict approach since his days managing the Dutch club between 2015 and 2017.
“His door is always open, and you can always come and talk to him – in return, you better listen, or else he’ll cut you in half,” Jensen told Danish magazine Tipsbladet.
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Ten Hag looked to have laid the foundations for a successful reign at Old Trafford in his maiden season, helming a positive dressing room that produced wins on the pitch.
United finished third in the Premier League and ended their six-year trophy drought by lifting the Carabao Cup last February.
This season has been a disappointment, but Ten Hag became the joint-quickest United manager to reach 50 wins at the start.
And Jensen has hailed his coaching quality and the culture he built during his short spell at Utrecht.
“He is an amazing guy and an amazing coach. I have nothing bad to say about that man,” Jensen explained.
“He is the most skilled coach I’ve had, and I’m not just saying that because he’s in charge at Man United.”
He added: “Ten Hag believed that it should be me playing after Robbin Ruiter returned from injury.
“I seized the opportunity and played for three consecutive years, where we both competed in Europe and were at the top of the Dutch league. The club had such a great culture, and we were a winning team.”
While support could be dwindling in some sections of his dressing room, Ten Hag will retain the faith of many of his players as he looks to reverse United’s recent fortunes.
