Manchester United’s new era with the Dutch coach, Erik ten Hag, has finally begun. Man United’s first training with Erik ten Hag took place at the club’s headquarters, Carrington, on (27/6/2022). However, the composition of the Man United squad in this first exercise is still not complete.
Several Man United stars, from Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire, to Cristiano Ronaldo, are still absent from training. Ronaldo’s absence has nothing to do with his future at Man United, which has been widely discussed in recent days.
CR7, Ronaldo’s nickname, was absent from Man United’s inaugural training because he did get more holidays. The holiday quota cannot be separated from the fact that Ronaldo is still playing for Portugal in the UEFA Nations League after the 2021-2022 season.
Quoted from the club’s official website, there were 11 senior players who attended Man United’s inaugural training with Erik ten Hag. The details of the 11 players are David De Gea, Tom Heaton, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Luke Shaw, Axel Tuanzebe and Donny van de Beek.
The presence of Erik ten Hag indirectly affected Van de Beek’s future at Man United. The 25-year-old central midfielder get a second chance to prove his quality at Man United with Ten Hag. This is because Ten Hag was a coach who played an important role in bringing up Van de Beek’s name when the two worked together at Ajax Amsterdam.
The two Dutch figures then separated at the start of the 2020-2021 season after Van de Beek decided to move to Man United. In the last two seasons, Van de Beek has had a very difficult time breaking into the Manchester United main squad, whether it was during the coaching era of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick.
Van de Beek, who often sits on the bench, has only had the opportunity to play 50 times in the Man United main squad. That’s what made Van de Beek forced to move to Everton on loan in the middle of last season to get a chance to play. The presence of Ten Hag is now expected to spur Van de Beek to return to his best performance as before when he was still defending Ajax Amsterdam.
Quoted from the club’s official website, Man United’s first training session with Erik ten Hag lasted more than two hours. The players first undergo medical tests, then train in the gym, until finally playing on the field.
On his first day working in charge of Man United, Erik ten Hag also called up several young players such as Alvaro Fernandez to Alejandro Garnacho. Regarding transfer activities, Man United has yet to bring in players.
Man United also continues to be linked with many players ranging from Jurrien Timber (Ajax Amsterdam), Christian Eriksen, to Frenkie De Jong (Barcelona). Of the three names, Frenkie de Jong is reportedly Ten Hag’s top priority in the transfer market this summer.
Recently, several European media such as Sky Sports to Sport.es said Man United had raised their offer to redeem Frenkie de Jong. Man United’s final bid is estimated at 50 million euros. The debut of Erik ten Hag as the new coach of Man United will occur in Bangkok, Thailand, on 12 July. Ten Hag’s debut moment is very special because Man United will face their eternal rival, Liverpool, in a test match.
