Report: What members of Manchester United's hierarchy think about the standard of Erik ten Hag's training

Today at 06:15 AM

Erik ten Hag is currently under the microscope at Manchester United after a poor start to the 2024/25 campaign.

The Dutchman was fortunate to keep his job over the summer after INEOS conducted an internal review of the 2023/24 season, in which Manchester United finished eighth, but eventually decided to stick with the 54-year-old.

However, it is worth noting that Gareth Southgate – who is favourite to replace Ten Hag if INEOS do sack him – was unavailable at the time, as he prepared for UEFA Euro 2024 with England.

As those in the boardroom at Manchester United scrutinise Erik ten Hag, a comment about the quality of his training sessions at Carrington has emerged.

Manchester United chiefs impressed by Erik ten Hag in training

A story from The Athletic now states that members of the hierarchy at Manchester United have been left impressed by what they are seeing at Carrington – despite a slow start to the 2024/25 campaign.

It is said that Manchester United chiefs appreciate the level of tactical detail Ten Hag goes into at Carrington – with the help of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Rene Hake, and Andreas Georgson.

The Athletic add that INEOS are keen to show calm and togetherness, having anticipated a few more lows under the man from Haaksbergen before any significant improvement takes place.

INEOS should not be fooled by Ten Hag

While Ten Hag may well be delivering some high level training sessions, the only thing that matters is what we see on the pitch in competitive games.

For over two years, we have watched Manchester United sleepwalk through many games under the Dutchman, showing no clear tactical identity – that was still evident for all to see in defeats against Liverpool and Tottenham at Old Trafford this season, where the Red Devils hardly laid a glove on their opponent in both matches.

In our view, this latest nugget of information regarding Ten Hag at Carrington is akin to that of an office worker trying to look busy as their boss walks past the desk – he is obviously going to be keen on impressing with INEOS watching his sessions.

TBR Football understand that the upcoming games against FC Porto and Aston Villa will be decisive for Ten Hag regardless of what is happening at Carrington, so only time will tell if the Manchester United boss survives this tough spell.