Manchester United’s 3-0 victory over Leicester City on Sunday once again was a testament to Erik ten Hag drastically changing the direction of the Red Devils, who are now only three points behind second-placed Manchester City. United have only lost twice in their previous 20 games, and with an eight-point cushion between themselves and fifth-place Newcastle, they appear to be on their way back to the Champions League.
Moreover, they also have a shot to win their first trophy since 2017 when they play the Magpies in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday, 26 February. The 13-time Premier League champions have been in excellent form, but the fact that they lost their first two games of the season against Brentford and Brighton makes it a more remarkable achievement. And the dismantling 4-0 defeat at the Gtech Stadium, Erik ten Hag introduced himself to the United players in the true sense.
Erik ten Hag was ‘physically shattered’ but still proved his point to the players through 8.5-mile run
Erik ten Hag’s start to life at United was no less than a nightmare as the Dutchman had to watch his mew club embarrass by minnows Brentford and Brighton in an aggregate score of 6-1 across the two games. The Bees sting United with a 4-0 defeat, with Josh Dasilva, Mathias Jensen, Ben Mee, and Bryan Mbeumo scoring in the first half to make things terrible for United, with Ten Hag indignant at what he witnessed.
According to The Mirror, the former Ajax coach ordered his players to go to practice on their scheduled day off on the following Sunday and assigned them a gruelling drill of running 13.8 kilometres (8.5 miles) – the difference in distance covered by Brentford in their routing of United.
Not only that, but 52-year-old Ten Hag too participated in the hard training session with his team in the sweltering heat. The United players were at first “raging” with the action, adds The Mirror, but their new manager also won their respect and left a “deep impact”. Despite being “physically shattered,” the Dutchman’s actions demonstrated that he is unquestionably the real deal.
A source told The Mirror:
“The players were raging when they discovered their punishment for the no-show at Brentford would be an 8.5-mile run. But the moans ceased when it became clear that the manager was planning to do the same as them.
“He didn’t have to tell anyone why. It was clear that he wasn’t going to let his players take all the blame for the performance. Ten Hag also felt he had to show that he also felt culpable. It was a tough run for the players – but it was even more gruelling for Erik – and they were impressed.”
In the following game, United ran 19 kilometres (11.8 miles) more than their fierce rivals Liverpool while defeating them 2-1 at Old Trafford, Erik ten Hag’s first official win as the Red Devils’ manager. Even though it was still early in the season, it helped United turn things around before a crisis could develop. Fast forward six months and Ten Hag deserves a tonne of credit for United’s resurrection to looking like a legitimate, well-coordinated team, who is now even being talked as a genuine title challenger.