Ten Hag doing all the right things at Man Utd as he keeps important promise
Robin Bairner
- 17 Sept 2022 10:26 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United may only be fifth in the Premier League table, but there is little doubt that manager Erik ten Hag is cutting an increasingly impressive figure at Old Trafford.
If his handling of the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer situation was overshadowed by successive defeats to start the Premier League campaign, six wins in succession in the Premier League and Europa League have started to change fans’ attitudes towards the Dutchman.
And an appearance at the club’s Under-21 match on Friday night has only helped his cause.
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Ten Hag understands the DNA of Manchester United and he appreciates how important it is to introduce young players from the academy into the first team. This has been highlighted by the fact that he has called up numerous members of the U21 squad into first team training, including Radek Vitek, Tyler Fredricson, Kobbie Mainoo, Zidane Iqbal, Shola Shoretire and Charlie McNeill.
Positive impression
His appearance at the Friday night fixture against West Ham just hours after arriving back from Moldova, where the first team won 2-0 against FC Sheriff thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo, was nevertheless impressive.
He would have drawn some positives from what he saw on display, despite the young Red Devils chalking up a fourth successive draw, this time of the 1-1 variety.
It was McNeill, who had travelled with the first-team squad to Moldova, who looked brightest for the Old Trafford side, though they trailed after 58 minutes when Kamarai Swyer scored against the run of play. Omari Forson quickly levelled as the home side reasserted their dominance on the match.
Ten Hag’s interest in the game, though, will have been a spur to Manchester United’s young players and it is a reminder to the club’s supporters that he understands the values of the team, which have been rather lost in recent years.
Read more about: Premier League, Man Utd
