Speaking to Sportmail during his US tour, coach Erik ten Hag talked about stripping Harry Maguire of the captaincy, his first season with Man Utd and his ambition to close the gap with Man City.
Coach Ten Hag directs the match Man Utd lost 0-2 to Real Madrid on July 27. Photo: manutd.com
- You had some big decisions to make this summer, stripping Maguire of the captaincy and letting goalkeeper De Gea leave for free. How difficult were those decisions?
- That's the difference between a manager and a person. At the end of the day, top-level football is about getting results, and you have to make decisions honestly and transparently. The club has appointed me to make those decisions at times, but also to communicate those decisions and execute them in a straightforward, honest way. That's what I've always tried to do, and I'll always try to do that.
- Was the stripping of the captaincy simply because Maguire no longer holds the official position or is there a deeper meaning?
- I have no problem with Maguire, but it's for the good of the team. I have to make a decision. But I wouldn't say Maguire has no future at the club, because he has to fight for his place. Maguire is a very good centre-back, and I believe in his potential. It's just that Maguire has to prove himself and fight for his place. It's up to Maguire, and I believe he can do it.
- You say you believe in Maguire's ability, but last season's statistics show the opposite. What does that mean?
- Haven't I played Maguire a lot? Look at Maguire's competition in central defence. It's difficult when you have to compete with Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof. It's not about trust. It's true that I often pick another player before Maguire, but that doesn't mean I don't trust him. Maguire has to prove that he's better suited to the team than Varane and Lindelof. That's normal in top-flight football. At Man Utd, you have to fight for your place, show your best skills and prove that you're the best, the one who contributes the most to the team.
- What is the most important thing you learned after your first season leading Man Utd?
- A coach always has to think, evaluate himself to improve, to know in a split second what is important. We have to make thousands of decisions every day and I always try my best to find the best team based on strong reasoning. In that sense, you have to think a lot before making a decision.
- Man Utd almost panicked in some matches last season, including losing 0-7 to Liverpool, 3-6 to Man City, 0-4 to Brentford. In terms of match management ability, how do you assess this challenge when everything does not go according to plan?
- There were also games where we came back and won. We proved that we can beat anyone, all the big clubs in the world. But we also had bad days and the team has to be more stable.
Coach Ten Hag during Man Utd's 0-7 loss to Liverpool at Anfield on March 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters
- What do you think about the 0-7 loss to Liverpool?
- It was a bad day, but we have to learn from it. Anyway, the team only dropped three points and the team spirit is very good. After every bad performance and every bad result, we come back. This season, I am sure there will be bad results again and we have to deal with them. Of course the aim is to avoid them. But when they happen, we need to stay focused and deal with the difficult moments and then try to turn things around. That will certainly be one of the challenges next season.
- The gap between Man City and Man Utd has decreased from 35 to 14 points in the last two seasons. With the signings this summer, how do you see the opportunity for Man Utd to narrow that gap further and even compete for the championship?
- In pre-season, we shouldn't talk about that. I don't think any club in the Premier League, except Man City, can aim to win the title right now. Man City have won five of the last six seasons. After Man City, the other clubs have to compete for the top four, then the top two, and then they'll be in a position to compete for the title. But don't talk about winning the title.
- You once said you wanted to end Man City's dominance in your Man Utd press conference. How is that belief now?
- I think Man Utd have shown that they can beat Man City, but you have to be consistent. Man City won much easier than us. But I don't want to talk about Man City because it sounds negative and that's not what I mean. I want to talk about the project of Man Utd, how the team improved, and I think the progress and results of the club last year were quite clear.
I also want to talk about performances, when we can beat big teams, including Man City. We have improved every game, the last three times we have played Man City. We want to focus on ourselves, not on our opponents. Man United have to compete with seven or eight clubs in the Premier League, even more in Europe. So we have to improve our performance and our results. It has to be optimal.
- What did you do after losing to Man City in the FA Cup final?
- Of course, it's a time for me to review the season. You do that every day, but when you don't have to worry about the next game for the next three or four days, you have more time to review the whole process.
Antony dribbles past Bernardo Silva during Man Utd's 2-1 win over Man City in the Premier League in January 2023. Photo: Reuters
- On the current US tour, you talked about Marcus Rashford having the right mentality and also mentioned lifestyle. Why is that?
- For every player, you have to live the right life. Top football today is very demanding: 60 games a year at club level and 10 international games. With 70 games, you have to be at your peak physical level every three or four days. If you don't live the right life, you can't keep up. What's important? Sleep, recovery, nutrition. These are the three main areas and when you don't do them right, you'll have problems, you won't be able to perform well. What I say about Rashford is the same with Raphael Varane or any other player. You won't reach the highest level if you don't do them right.
- So does Rashford or any Man Utd player have lifestyle problems?
- When I came to Man Utd, the standards were not right. I demanded the highest standards of sleep, recovery and nutrition because that makes a difference when you have to play after three or four days. We have to improve. That is what every top footballer demands. So at Man Utd, we are demanding the highest standards.
- Sir Alex Ferguson changed the culture after coming to Man Utd. Was this the biggest challenge in his first year - overhauling the whole culture and the way the players worked?
- The most important thing is to get results but to do that you need the right culture, the right players, the right style of play. So you have to get a lot of things right, not just one.
- Jadon Sancho has played for Man Utd for two seasons and has earned your trust. But will next season be the most important season for Sancho?
- Sancho has the skills, but he needs to be consistent, because he can contribute more to the club. As an attacking player, it is important to be involved in goals. So, make the right decisions, make assists or score goals. That is why Sancho was recruited by Man Utd. At the moment, he is in a good mood. Sancho decides everything himself, his mood and the way he plays. He has a lot of energy, wants to enjoy football and be successful. I hope and expect a lot from Sancho.
- Sancho is a very different player to the one we saw at Dortmund, in terms of skill and ability to take on people. Is this a confidence issue or is it just because Sancho is playing at a higher level?
- It's a development. The Bundesliga is the perfect preparation for the Premier League, which is tougher. I think it's a bit harsh to talk about confidence. I've watched a lot of Dortmund games, and Sancho is not a different player. But it's true that he has to be more consistent in his performances, and he has to do it at a higher level.
- What players do you want to strengthen for Man Utd this summer?
- We are always looking for better quality. So if you want to be at Man Utd, you have to meet really high standards. And when we see the opportunity to be better, we have to do it to meet the expectations of the fans. We always have to raise the bar, but the important thing is that the players know that we believe in them: in their potential, in their character, in their team spirit, in their unity, in fighting together, in socialising, in maintaining good relationships. This is a team sport and when we are united, we are stronger.
- Man Utd are set to increase their spending to $230 million this season, after spending $282 million last season. How does that put pressure on you and the players?
- There is no pressure, because every team is investing such a large amount of money. Compared to other clubs, we are not spending too much or too little. I do not focus on this issue, because it is not attractive at all. I have to think about how to improve the way Man Utd play. I will fight for the players I want, and ask the club to bring in the right players. When we do that, we have to get good results.
Ten Hag encourages his players before a training session in the US when Man Utd go on tour this summer. Photo: manutd.com
- What say do you have in the transfer process?
- I have complete freedom to decide. When you look at the investments of other clubs, you cannot compete for the top positions in the Premier League without investing similarly. It is a choice: if you want to compete, you have to spend money.
- What do you think about the huge fees for Harry Kane and other strikers?
- I don't talk about players from other clubs out of respect, especially Kane. I have a lot of respect because Kane is a great striker, one of the best players in history. He can even become the top scorer in the Premier League.
- You said Man Utd signed too many mediocre players and paid the price. So what must the team do in the next few weeks to get the squad you want?
- I don't want to make that comparison. Football evolves. A club evolves and there will be times when you have to refresh the squad, but you have to do it strategically. To say a player doesn't contribute to Man Utd would be really disrespectful.
- What do you think when Andre Onana is considered the best goalkeeper in the world right now?
- I think Onana has shown that over the last few seasons. Now he's at his new club and has to prove it again. Onana has the potential and the skills to improve the way Man Utd play, and that will definitely help the team.
Hong Duy
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