Ten Hag Takes First Decision As United Manager – Players Aren’t Ready For His Style

Erik ten Hag has his work cut out for him at Old Trafford as the squad he will inherit this summer is filled with players who are simply uncoachable.

Ralf Rangnick arrived at Carrington in December with a promise of a fast, proactive, and counter-pressing style of football. But the ‘Godfather of Gegenpressing’ failed to implement his philosophy. Aside from the first-half against Crystal Palace, United haven’t effectively pressed under the interim boss.

Ten Hag has already noticed that the squad he’s inheriting isn’t ready to meet his demands on the training pitch. The Ajax boss reckons there are players at Carrington who lack fitness to sustain the running and energy levels needed to play his pressing style of football. His Ajax side play quick one-to-one touches in possession and without the ball they tend to not give any time or space to the opposition.

According to The Mirror,  the Dutchman has watched United’s last few games remotely and has been unimpressed with their fitness level, and is convinced many of the frustrating displays this season are a direct result of poor fitness and a lack of conditioning.

Ten Hag will conduct individual chats with United players this week and he wants some of his players to report for duty two weeks earlier than planned.

United’s players were due to be back in for pre-season training on July 4, but now some of them will be expected at Carrington the week beginning June 20 so that they can get in shape well ahead of the start of the Premier League, which kicks off on August 6.