Man Utd began their preseason with new coach Erik ten Hag doing their first session at Carrington on Monday despite Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire still out.
Erik ten Hag took over his first Man Utd training session on Monday (
Image: Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images)
Manchester United are entering an exciting new era with Erik ten Hag at the helm.
The Red Devils have another new coach and there is a lot of optimism about what will come after the Dutchman leaves Ajax to take over at Old Trafford. Ten Hag arrived in Carrington on Monday for his first training session before being accompanied by 19 players.
After fitness tests, Ten Hag took his players to the training ground and directed them before they worked with the ball as he began to convey his ideas to a new group of players. They will soon be joined by those who have participated in internationals, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire, when they return from their delayed breaks.
4 changes to the Man Utd training camp that Erik ten Hag has implemented since day one Within Erik ten Hag’s first day of Man Utd training: “Everyone wanted to go there”
A source in the locker room told the Mirror, “There was real energy in the place. Everyone wanted to leave. Erik was boiling around the training camp, meeting a lot of people, before training in the afternoon.
“There’s always a certain routine on the first day back, with health and fitness checks, but they were on the grass working with the ball in the afternoon.”
Here’s a look at five things we noticed after posting the footage from the first Ten Hag session.
Ten Hag reportedly spent “a few minutes” talking to his new players (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images)
1) Opening address
Ten Hag’s first task was simple when he put his players on the grass: make a strong opening speech.
The Manchester Evening News reports that Ten Hag addressed the group of players for “a few minutes” at the start of the session, flanked by assistants Steve McClaren and Mitchell Van der Gaag.
He will have hoped to have made a positive first impression, as the photos showed him looking assertive at times and smiling warmly at others.
After his lead, Ten Hag led his players for more than two hours of training, mixing ball work with running exercises, as some players who arrived before 9 a.m. stayed on the field. training until after 4 p.m.
First impressions are key, and Ten Hag hopes his first training address has delivered his first message.
Anthony Martial has returned from his loan at Sevilla (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images)
2) The borrowers return
Manchester United sent in a lot of players on loan last season who have now returned to their colors.
Donny van de Beek is one of those closely watched from afar after thriving under Ten Hag in Ajax. He returned to Carrington and was reunited with his former boss.
Amad has returned to Man Utd and was seen in training after his loan spell with the Rangers (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images) Axel Tuanzebe has also returned and is looking to impress after his loan spell in Naples (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images)
Axel Tuanzebe is reportedly among those Ten Hag could look forward to, but was seen training as he seeks to take the opportunity to change his mind.
The young Amad also returned to the squad after spending last season with the Rangers, while Anthony Martial could still resurrect his career at Manchester United after a disappointing loan spell at Sevilla.
Wingers Brandon Williams and Ethan Laird also returned with Williams who spent last season going down with Norwich City, while Laird moved in the opposite direction helping Bournemouth move up.
3) Young people want to seize their opportunity
Manchester United have a rich tradition of bloody young players, and Erik ten Hag did the same at Ajax.
This means there will be a lot of encouragement for the current harvest of United’s youth talents that could be forced on the side. Undoubtedly, this is the case of Alejandro Garnacho, who returned soon despite being involved in the international action of the Argentine under-20s in recent weeks.
Highly rated winger Alvaro Fernandez was photographed in Man Utd training with Ten Hag (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images) Robbie Savage’s son Charlie also took part in the session (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images)
Charlie Savage, the son of Robbie Savage, also participated in the first session of Ten Hag, as it aims to make a positive first impression, as was Alvaro Fernández, the highly valued Spanish winger, signed by Real Madrid in 2020.
Shola Shoretire also participated after being introduced to the first team with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and winning the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2020/21.
4) Point to prove
A new era at Manchester United means a fresh start for many players, and this will be welcome news for some.
Marcus Rashford was one of those who returned to work on the first day of the preseason and was photographed participating in the session with Ten Hag. It’s a great year for Rashford, who has worked hard during the offseason and is looking forward to impressing again.
Marcus Rashford has worked hard during the offseason and is looking forward to impressing his new coach (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images) Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also believed to be fighting for his future at Man Utd (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images)
Like Rashford, Jadon Sancho was left out of England’s summer plans and will be desperate to start strong with Ten Hag to consolidate his place in his plans. After a season of debut up and down at United, there are high expectations for Sancho to start next year.
The same goes for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who is looking to prove his worth with reports that he is one that Ten Hag could sell to raise funds this summer.
Although his rejections in England were a personal blow, they took the opportunity to gain an advantage over their teammates by informing themselves in training on the first day of Ten Hag.
Erik ten Hag kept an eye on the ball in his first session (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images) The new coach had a long playing career in the Netherlands (
Image:
Ash Donelon / Manchester United via Getty Images)
5) Ten Hag vigil
Erik ten Hag had a solid, but not very spectacular, career. He played more than 300 senior matches in the Netherlands, enjoying his best stint as captain of FC Twente, where he won the Dutch Cup in 2001.
After that, he went on to train with the team from his hometown and has already enjoyed a much more successful career on the other side of the sideline. But that doesn’t mean he won’t always be a heart player, and he couldn’t resist the need to show his skills to Carrington.
He was photographed in Ten Hag showing off his ball skills by juggling the ball while his stars were being tested while showing his squad that he himself can play a bit.
Read more
Mathijs de Ligt’s comments about Erik ten Hag when Man Utd enter the transfer race “by force”
Read more
Stan Collymore claims that Erik ten Hag is setting up to fail at Man Utd