Former Manchester United defender Jaap Stam has been speaking about Erik ten Hag on the Stick to Football podcast.
Stam fears for his fellow Dutch compatriot because there’s a lack of ‘peace and quiet’ surrounding his job at Old Trafford. He is struggling to comprehend why Ten Hag can’t stamp his mark on the side despite spending over £400million on new signings since taking over last year.
There are also concerns over clashes with players as Ten Hag experienced with stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho – while question marks remain over Raphael Varane’s future at the club. None of this is good because it gives the media something to focus on, which Stam is fully aware of.
The pressure increased on Tuesday night as United crashed out of the Champions League following a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at Old Trafford. Varane got a rare start in the side, although Harry Maguire went off injured in the first half.
Stam, who won the Treble with United in 1999, spoke about his worries for Ten Hag after clashing with a number of players since moving to Manchester.
“He has got to be worried and thinking about what’s going to happen now,” Stam said.
“You can ban players, but it’s also about man management of course and how to work with and handle players.
“There was the [Cristiano] Ronaldo thing, the [Jadon] Sancho thing, Raphael Varane probably – I don’t know if something’s happened over there.
“There’s the thing with the press now and banning journalists from press conferences. It doesn’t work in your favour as a manager.
“You need to have peace and quiet… you don’t want to pay too much attention to other things like players and the press.
“You need to fully focus, and I don’t think you want to talk about players or what players think about you as a manager.
“I worry a little bit for him and that’s why it would be good if he gets the results.”
I think it’s important to point out that Ten Hag has not become a bad coach overnight. With a bit of time and more backing, the manager can jump over this hurdle so long as the players are held responsible for poor results.
Furthermore, Ten Hag had an impressive first season at Old Trafford. United won their first trophy in six years, reached the FA Cup final and finished third in the Premier League.
Stam was also a fan of Ten Hag’s work before he made the switch to United. He added: “I have respect for what he did in Holland and what he did last year at Manchester United.
“I think he’s a good coach and I’m wondering this myself and we even asked him for ViaPlay – when are we going to see this style of play we saw at Ajax?
“He made a certain comment and he mentioned that he could never play the way he played at Ajax over here.
“I’m surprised because I’ve seen [Roberto] De Zerbi and Tottenham [with Ange Postecoglou] and how they’re playing.
“It has to do with your player as well, but he invested a lot of money in players that he brought. But are they the right players? My opinion is that they’re not.”
Get the latest Manchester United news, opinion, interviews and exclusive features with the Stretty Newsletter – Ad Free! Kick off your afternoon with the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.
