Manchester United have delivered something for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford that predecessors Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all wanted but never received.
It highlights just how strongly the club is prepared to back the Dutchman, who had a transformative effect in his first season in charge amid his determination to drive standards that had previously been allowed to slip in the years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Beyond the dressing room, United players and staff didn’t have a “controlled environment” where they could relax and go through match preparations. Now, they do.
A report from The Athletic explains that a hospitality area in the Sir Bobby Charlton has been transformed into a pre-game lounge for Ten Hag and the players. A temporary solution was in place last season when a corporate became designated for such use, but for 2023/24 and beyond there is a “tailored space” where the boss will also oversee nutrition.
It seems to stem for Ten Hag’s apparent reluctance for players to be based at an off-site hotel the night before home games, as has happened in the past, because of uncontrollable variables and seeing it as wasted time. Instead, players are asked to report to Old Trafford more than 200 minutes before kick-off. In their new space, they can eat pre-game and go through instructions on-site.
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The hospitality space turned over by the club is said to have been worth “millions of pounds” in revenue, which now has to be replaced in other ways. That could include off-site alternatives.
Prior to Ten Hag starting work in May 2022, United had just recorded their lowest ever Premier League points tally, equalled their most number of losses in the post-1992 era and had conceded their most league goals in a single season since the 1970s.
In his first season, the Dutchman oversaw seven additional league wins, improving the team’s points tally by 17. It was also United’s second best points tally in the 10 years following Ferguson’s departure and only a fourth top three finish during that time.
Of all the new managers United have had since 2013, it has been the most substantial positive impact within the first 12 months. But the club must continue to back him and it appears that they are.
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This article was originally published on 90min as How Man Utd have changed Old Trafford for Erik ten Hag.
