Returning assistant Steve McClaren has compared Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag to Sir Alex Ferguson as he prepares for an Old Trafford meeting for two reasons.
McClaren has not only spent time at United previously under the legendary Scottish, but has also worked alongside Ten Hag in the Netherlands. Of course, this came when the Englishman was in charge of Twente, while Ten Hag was the assistant. Now the roles have been reversed in time for next season.
Ten Hag was appointed by United last month and took up his duties on Monday. He attended last day’s match against Crystal Palace, where he was joined by confirmed assistants McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag, while attention is focused on his imminent reconstruction.
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Speaking about the challenge of her son, Josh, on the McClaren Performance podcast, McClaren made a pretty high-profile comparison between two men she knows well. He said: “The last seven days have been all about paying attention to detail, all the planning you want to do right.
“And that’s from the day after winning the championship with Ajax, it goes to the next thing, a bit like Sir Alex Ferguson did. But we just want to support Erik and make him successful and, yes it is, then the team is “.
McClaren added: “Erik finished his last game [at Ajax]he came to London where I met him and Mitchell [van der Gaag] and John Murtough and we spent five or six days together [Monday] with the press. So we spent the last week working.
Erik has Hag, Mitchell van der Gaag and returning assistant Steve McClaren. (Image: Manchester United / Manchester United via Getty Images.)
“The work ethic and attention to detail has just been exemplified in the last seven days in which it has met virtually all the staff members with whom it will work very closely and has drawn up the plan in detail: what is the work of each person.
“It’s not only exciting to be back at Manchester United, it’s exciting to be working with Erik again. And after a week with Mitchell, a very, very good coach, and hopefully along with the staff and John Murtough he’s fantastic help in the process, we can start in mid-June when [the] the players return.
“It’s a fresh start. I know Erik is looking forward to it and I’m definitely looking forward to it. It was great to catch up with him for the last seven days and get back together and hopefully form a great team off the field that will ultimately produce one on the field. “
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