ERIK TEN HAG says he will come down hard on any Manchester United players stepping out of line under him.
The new no-nonsense Red Devils boss laid out his demands as he talked about his desire to get Manchester United back to the top.
Manager Erik ten Hag has issued a warning to his Manchester United squadCredit: Getty
And it is clear discipline is going to be number one on the list as he tries to get the club into shape and challenging for major honours again.
Ten Hag said: “I think one of the issues when you want to get results, you need a team.
“It is organisation, co-operation, and also you need discipline. When there is no discipline around, you will not find it on the pitch as well. With such issues I’m quite severe.
“But I think it is on the players themselves to also be severe to each other, because if they want to achieve success they have to stick together. Sometimes there is a need for correction.
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“I have high standards because you are here, you are playing for Manchester United, then you must bring every day on the pitch. That is an expectation I have.”
There is a lighter side to the boss too as he smiled and joked ‘I don’t need the hairdryer’, when told of the nickname for Sir Alex Ferguson’s infamous bouts of dressing room rage.
But he is focused and business-like as he proved when interviewed for the job in the first place rocking United chiefs with his damning assessment of why the club had lost its way.
Ten Hag said: “I think I have a clear idea about strategy. The way I want to play football but also in the way a top football club has to be structured. We talked about those ideas and we agreed on the structures and the way we play football. Now we have to implement that.
“I have signed here for three years, but in football it’s short-term as well. We have to win from the start. So I don’t look that far ahead. I have a strategy, it’s a process, it takes time, but in the end we have to make sure from the outset there is a winning team.”
So what makes the ex-Ajax boss convinced he can succeed where others have failed in the post Sir Alex Ferguson era?
He said: “I must say I have a strong belief. This is a big challenge but until now everywhere I’ve been I’ve got the maximum out of my teams, and this is the project that is the most difficult. I realise that, but I am here so I am convinced that I can do it.
“I know it’s not an easy job but that gives me some joy, energy, together with all the people around to make a unified co-operation and that has to be the platform for success.”
Speaking out here in Melbourne, Ten Hag acknowledged that last season when the club finished with their lowest ever Premier League points total has clearly affected the confidence of the team.
He said: “You can see that it affects the players. Now we have to cheer them up and motivate them.
“We are trying to bring the confidence back. That is one of the important points to get success, that you have self-belief as an individual and as a team.
“But sometimes also you can be highly demanding because that is what we expect and we give them feedback -‘why are you not acting to your standards?’ And that is the question I am asking to the players.”
The Dutchman is on tour with his side in AustraliaCredit: AFP
Ten Hag has had a decent few weeks both on and off the pitch so far winning his first two pre-season tour matches, 4-0 against Liverpool and 4-1 against Melbourne Victory.
They take on Crystal Palace here tomorrow.
He has made three new signings as well with the arrivals of Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia.
The club continues to work on getting Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona.
Ten Hag is set on entertaining a United fan base that has grown disillusioned and believes that style they like will come but is insistent that winning is what matters first and foremost.
He said: “We want to play proactive, attacking football where its possible. We want to play good, but if we don’t play good we still have to win.
“I wanted to bring in a certain way of playing, it won’t be done when we finish pre-season, but when we finish pre-season we have to get results.”
If the players don’t, he might not pull out the hairdryer, but have no doubt the wrath of Ten Hag will be let loose.
