After a poor start to the 2023/24 campaign, Erik ten Hag has done well to keep the team afloat during what has been an injury-hit campaign. One Borussia Dortmund star has come out attributing a lot of his success to the Manchester United manager.
Ten Hag has been able to rally his team back into Champions League contention as well as a place in the FA Cup semi-finals, with a Wembley clash lined up against Coventry City.
Everyone could see the team spirit during last Sunday’s 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, and now belief is building towards a crucial end to the season.
One player who thrived under Ten Hag is Ivory Coast striker Sebastien Haller.
The striker initially played under Ten Hag at FC Utrecht between 2015 and 2017, but they would later work together at Ajax.
Speaking to The Athletic this week, Haller revealed his desire to work with Ten Hag again.
Haller scored an incredible 87 goals under Ten Hag, and United will be in the market for a striker to bring more competition to the table for Rasmus Hojlund. I can also think of worse players for the young Dane to learn from.
The Ivorian praised Ten Hag’s work rate and has urged patience.
“Ten Hag really invests his time and energy into getting the best out of his team,” Haller said.
“This is England and Manchester United, people don’t even want to know what is going on behind the scenes – they just want results.
“When I was in Utrecht, he was my neighbour. This guy never stops working. This is the only thing he does and he wants to do it well.
“You need to adapt to your environment and I’m sure he will do some good things – he already has. I wish him all the best. Thanks to him, I could succeed.”
Meanwhile, Haller’s Dortmund teammate Jadon Sancho would have a completely different opinion of Ten Hag.
Sancho fell out with Ten Hag earlier this season and never found his way back into the team before returning to Dortmund on loan in January.
The winger is currently trying to turn his career around in Germany.
Subscribe to the Stretty News podcast Strettycast for weekly episodes on Manchester United. You can also sign up to the ad-free Stretty Newsletter. Get the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.
