Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay has praised the personal touch that Erik ten Hag applies to his man management, building connections that make players want to play for him.
Ten Hag has been tasked with turning things around for a squad so low on confidence they appeared to have given up the fight in the closing stages of last season.
So far, the Dutchman has had mixed success, beating Liverpool and Arsenal in a run of four successive Premier League wins sandwiched in between a dreadful start to the campaign in early August and a humiliating Manchester derby defeat last time out.
Ten Hag himself has admitted that United are currently ‘not that good’ and need to consistently play with the kind of intensity he expects on the pitch. He has also warned that reaching the desired level will not come overnight and will take months rather than weeks to achieve.
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But McTominay insists the former Ajax boss is going about things the right way when it comes to building rapports with player and getting them on his side, something he says he hasn’t personally had in that way from previous United managers like Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“On [pre-season] tour, he asked me about my family and how they were and how they’re getting on and that was a real good touch,” McTominay told United’s in-house media. “I felt like I could then trust him, and want to play for him and be in a team with him, where he’s pushing me.
“I obviously want to be making sure I’m doing my best for him because he’s got a real understanding about my personal life as well, which is massive in terms of a player. I’ve never really properly had that before. [I’ve had] other bits from other coaches but I feel like he’s really, really good in that aspect.”
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Source : 90min