Erik ten Hag enjoyed a successful debut campaign at Manchester United – winning the Carabao Cup and finishing third in the Premier League – but the Dutchman has been subject to criticism in his second season in charge.
The pressure that comes with managing United has slapped Ten Hag in the face and he will soon learn if he can find a way to deal with it. His former assistant insists he “doesn’t like” criticism which doesn’t bode well if results don’t improve on the pitch.
United are enduring a difficult campaign, both domestically and in Europe, as we sit sixth in the Premier League and on the cusp of Champions League elimination ahead of a must-win clash away at Galatasaray.
Aron Winter, who worked with Ten Hag as his assistant at Ajax between 2017 and 2019, believes in his former boss. Winter even highlighted the Dutchman’s first season in charge of United which was a success.
“When he gets criticism, he doesn’t like it, but he knows what he is doing,” Winter told The Sun. “If you listen to everything it makes you crazy. He has that quality to close his ears and work.
“He is a very good coach, but also very strict and very structured. He is always thinking how to win, how to damage an opponent. He showed that last year. He won a trophy. His problems now are injuries and a start to the season that was not so good.”
Knowing at things went at Ajax, Winter points out how Ten Hag had a difficult first six months in Amsterdam before going on to win three consecutive Eredivisie titles. Perhaps the biggest concern Winter has for Ten Hag is that he doesn’t think the manager has enough people around him that understand United’s “DNA”.
Does Ten Hag need to call on someone else to assist Steve McClaren? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
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