Erik ten Hag sat down with reporters at Manchester United’s training base in Los Angeles to discuss his hopes for the new season and thoughts on the dramatic end to last season when victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final led to him keeping his job following summit talks with new co-owners Ineos.
During a wide-ranging interview, Ten Hag talks about how he is now ‘in the same boat’ as the club’s leadership team, could have taken easy jobs than United and how he now feels that it is ‘his club’.
The Dutchman gave some straight answers on Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and a whole lot more. Here is the interview in full.
Erik ten Hag spoke frankly about a number of topics in a Q&A with reporters
Q: How's the tour going, how are you feeling, I reckon?
A: Good, it's a positive tour so far and I think, yeah, it's a pre-season. I think we made some foundations.
Q: And how about the injuries, how are you feeling about Rasmus Hojlund and Leny Yoro?
A: Yeah, I'm waiting for this question, of course. But that's part of football, that's part of top football especially. You go to the edge. Every player has to go to the edge and then injuries are not avoidable.
But, of course, we have to be ready as a club and as a team to cover this and the players are dealing very well with this setback. They are very positive, they are already recovering and they will return.
Q: Do you think that would accelerate some recruitment plans possibly, given they are two significant injuries?
A: No, no.
Leny Yoro is injured already after joining this summer from Lille in a deal worth £52million
Q: Do you think that's a shift? Because obviously there's a new structure here now, is it new way of working?
A: No, this will not change anything. We have a plan and we stick to the plan.
Q: It won't change who stays either?
A: No, no. We have a plan and we will execute the plan, how we have that in our minds. So we will continue this.
Q: When we saw you win the FA Cup, we weren't sure whether we'd be sat here with you again. How difficult was that period of uncertainty for you and how pleased are you to still be here?
A: I was never distracted from the mission. So I came here two years ago and this group of players hadn't won any trophies for six years.
I said we are also on a mission and we are here to win, and we are building, and that we knew it will not come overnight. We have to work very hard and we will have to deal with setbacks during that time.
The first season I think was very successful, with two finals. We won one, we lost one – we should have won that one – and we were third. And we went far in Europe, we played over 60 matches.
Ten Hag says he has never been distracted from the mission even on the brink of being sacked
Then last season, there were a lot of setbacks, that was clear. But by the end we got rewarded, because we kept believing and we won an amazing trophy and so we have a foundation.
I think in the summer, many positives are there, with the new leadership group who will help give us a better foundation, a structure, that will help our team.
We have some new coaches in which gives us, not a better dynamic, but a different dynamic: innovations, new ideas, a new dynamic, new energy. And I think then we can make progress to get to the next level.
Q: You mentioned that a couple of times, you came in and the team hadn't won for six years. Do you think that has maybe been lost a little bit?
A: I think it tells something about the abilities from that dressing-room and so before me there were also good managers. But at the end of the day, it's the quality from the players, who form a team that can lead to success. But when the ability in the dressing-room is not there, you can't achieve anything.
And, of course, you need a team cohesion, that makes a difference. But when in the base the qualities are not there in the dressing-room, it's impossible to achieve the success, because no manager makes from a worse footballer a good footballer.
Q: Did you think that's what you found when you came here, that the ability just wasn't in the dressing-room?
Ten Hag is pleased with Man United's foundations being laid in pre-season
A: It was not at the level required for Manchester United. You can develop players and you can develop, of course, a team, that often goes hand in hand.
But the potential must be there, otherwise you can't, as a manager, as a coaching staff, as a backroom staff, you can't build this when the potential is not there.
Q: How do you rate this current squad then?
A: I think we caught up and so we see we're capable of competing with the best teams in England. Then you are trying to compete with the best teams in the world, and there are some teams like Real Madrid of course, a very good team.
But the Premier League is a very high level and we are capable of competing with them, which is very good. But our challenge is now to do this more consistently.
How we do it has a lot to do with culture, winning culture, to build this. I feel that we built a foundation now, with the new leadership group, with the coaching staff and with new players coming in.
Q: Everything is moving forward with the new leadership group, but in terms of trust how comfortable are you given they were having conversations with other managers in April and May?
The United boss is happy with the restructuring behind the scenes at Old Trafford
A: I'm very comfortable and also at that time I felt very comfortable because I believe in myself. But, of course, it will help if there is very good communication and, of course, it’s helpful when you feel the backing from the leadership group. That helps because then you know where you're building to, that you do it together.
When you are in a very good, very strong bond that gives you confidence, gives you belief. Also the dressing-room, they will feel this, they will feel this strong belief that will bed into the dressing-room and they bed it into the pitch.
Q: Do you feel stronger now in your position than you’ve ever felt?
A: I felt always strong because I believe in myself. I believe that even in difficult circumstances that I can manage a team in a strong mentality. I believe that I can manage a team in winning positions but, of course, it will really help when around you there are strong people with great abilities to help you.
Then the processes can speed up and you can get to higher levels. So if we can do this together we achieve quicker but also higher levels.
Q: With regard to that, would you have preferred a longer contract because an extra year didn’t feel like massive backing?
A: No, I wanted this. So I think two years in football is already a long time, and in two years we will see what we have built on top of what we have achieved now.
Q: You say you wanted two years, but why do you not want four because it offers more security?
A: (laughs) No, I don't need that. I don't need that security.
Q: Did you expect to get a new contract or did you always think it would be the club triggering the 12-month extension?
A: For me, it's important that we are together and that we are working together, and when you work together you are in good moments together but also in bad moments.
When it's being questioned in the surrounding then of course that will flow into a team, and that is not helpful in achieving success. For myself I don't need this because I have security enough in my life and in my career, and I have enough belief that I know when I have a team I will achieve success.
Q: Are you confident that if you do have a difficult start to the season or if there are bumps in the road that you will still have that backing?
A: Yes. I feel that we are building something and that the people around me, we are in the same boat. But, of course, it's always a proven point when the case is there but what I hope is that we avoid this.
Q: You’re going to need that patience and understanding if you’re going to build a team around young players like Mainoo, Garnacho, Hojlund and Yoro?
A: That's a fair point. We have to build and we have a group of players who are very talented and we are happy to have those players, and I think also they are real Man United players.
They are players who have an X-factor but they are young. They already have the experience of how to win a trophy and we have to build on that, but with young players it will go with ups and downs and we have to realise that.
Ten Hag spoke about burying the hatchet with Jadon Sancho
Everyone has to realise this in this club internally, but also you [the media] should realise this externally. It's normal that it will not only go this way [up] with young people, young players especially.
Sometimes they will have a drop off and then it's about, ‘do they have the character to bounce back and to achieve against high levels?’.
Q: You’ve said you agreed with Ralf Rangnick’s assessment about the club needing ‘open heart surgery’ and it will take time. Do you know how many more players you need and how many more windows you need to feel you can challenge for the title?
A: We needed to catch up and this club needed to catch up, and I think the last two years we won the trophies and now we have restructured.
We are now in a better place. This is the fifth window but we never used the winter window so far. First year, we only took loan players, this season we didn't use it.
There you have to also do your deals and use those windows but do strategic deals to go faster in the season or faster in the project.
In that time you have to assess if it's possible and you have to deal with financial rules such as FFP and maybe you are not able or capable to do those deals but we didn't use them so far in the winter.
Q: So you're maybe like still five, six, seven players and two windows away from really being able to create that ‘two outstanding players in every position’ squad that you need?
A: I don't want to talk in numbers. A lot of the time when we are in the winter then you have to assess again the process: where are we, how the team is performing, how do individual players progress, what is necessary and what can we do.
But I think a club as us always have to look for better, but in the winter it's very difficult to make big changes because you don't have time to build them in. But strategic (signings) or do one or two things, because you have a problem as we did two years ago when we loaned Wout Weghorst because we had problems in the striker position, and we did it with Marcel Sabitzer because Christian Eriksen had an injury. Two very good signings who were very helpful to achieve the success for that season.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's football operation has moved rapidly in the transfer window already
Q: The reaction to you after the FA Cup final from the fans was overwhelmingly positive. Do you think that turned a lot of people's thinking at the top of the club, but also gave you a new boost that you felt that the most important people were behind you?
A: I feel that especially the fans who attended our home and away games that there is a very strong bond between the team and those fans, and that we are really there together and they understand very well the position we as a club are in.
And if we fight together, that is the way to achieve because those fans can create an ambience. It's amazing and then amazing things can happen.
For instance, like the game against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-final, there was a vibe. We are all long (time) in football but it's not so often you feel that vibe, and if you can create that more often that is absolutely helpful to get a team into high levels.
Q: That vibe also comes with how you play. Not every manager since Sir Alex Ferguson has played thrilling football, but your team at their best seem to. Is that an important thing for you to keep that connection with the fans?
A: I think absolutely. We want to play really proactive, aggressive football and I think attacking football that is embraced by the fans and share this emotionally with the fans.
Q: One of the players you've got back available now is Jadon Sancho. How's your working relationship with him given what happened last season?
Sancho has rejoined United having spent a portion of last season out on loan
A: We left this behind us and we said everything about this. We know from each other what the standards are and how we want to work, how we want to collaborate, and we need a good team. We just spoke about the standards, the levels, the abilities. When I took over you need good players to construct a good team and he's definitely a very good player.
Q: Something that the fans keep asking as well, did he actually apologise to you?
A: I think we said everything about it so we left it behind us and I think in our statement it says everything and it was clear and obvious.
Q: Players like Marcus Rashford, Antony and Mason Mount didn’t play the way you had hoped last season for different reasons. How important is it this season that those players, and others like them, step up to the plate?
A: First of all, the availability of the players should be better. The player has to take responsibility, we as staff has to take responsibility to do this together.
The leadership plays also a role in this to set the right culture and then the players, so we have a higher rate of player availability.
Because when you have got a squad where you can make choices, you can make selection, then that improves your levels and then you have a better chance of winning football games. This group of players is then capable of competing with the best teams.
Q: How much of the coaching changes were because of what you evaluated and how much was it because of what Ineos evaluated?
A: First, it was individual people made their choices to want to go into different roles, and then also I think it was good to create a new dynamic. We are in a process and when you are going in the next step in the process it's good to bring new energy and new dynamics and a requirement also from different skill. We reviewed it and we decided to bring in some different profiles.
Q: What did you think when Ineos were looking at potential replacements for you?
A: What I think is I want to collaborate. So togetherness, because I know when you are together you achieve more success and I am here to win. But we want to win, so I have to feel this and when I feel this, we will win.
We have good people. With highly competent people, they will contribute to more success and I don’t think negatively. So regarding your question, I don’t think negatively.
I feel positive and I feel very aligned. They are here, we are building those relationships and, as I said, we have to prove this point during the season and the next coming years, how strong we are.
Q: Does this feel like a fresh start for you?
A: No, but that is not on me. What I feel is, so many people advised negatively when I started in this club. I could have gone into projects with much better conditions, with much better structures but I choose this: Man United. I feel this is my club. And I want to go for this challenge although I knew this is very tough, this is very hard.
But you only know when you are in, and there are some challenges here. But already, we overcame many obstacles and we have to beat even more but, and I said it also in the spring, I feel we are in the right direction. And even in the summer I think many positives happened that we can accelerate this process.
Q: Jamie Carragher was very critical of your set-up last season, particularly the gap between midfield and defence. What’s your view on that and have you discussed tweaks to your team with the new coaches and technical director Jason Wilcox?
A: No, not in particular. So we will always be criticised. We are Man United and there is no other club that is criticised like Man United. You will always find in one game where you play a bad part where you find deficits in our game.
Last season, when we hadn’t the players available and there were no patterns and it fell off, we had to adjust our game model because every week we had to adjust our line-up with different personnel. We had 33 different back-fours.
What do you think? That the patterns are there? I saw the same what he (Carragher) saw. But I also know, and we proved it not one time but on a more consistent basis, we can play very compact. We are capable that we can build a foundation and be very successful.
So the criticism, he can tell or another one can tell. But when we look at it and analyse it, we are very capable and we showed not only in the game (FA Cup Final) against Manchester City.
True, we achieved a very high level. But also in many more other games where we achieved high levels and had a good foundation.
Q: Sir Alex Ferguson came through a sticky patch and won the FA Cup, and we all know what happened next. Can history repeat itself?
A: History but I don’t dream. We have to live today and build a future, but don’t look too far ahead. We have that foundation, I think we are in the right direction, the process.
But we have to do better. We have to make improvements because many clubs around us also improve and they have also the financial conditions to build very good teams and clubs. So, in history, probably it was a two-horse race. Now we’re talking about seven or eight clubs capable of developing very strong teams.
Q: How Marcus Rashford is after his injury against Real Betis?
Ten Hag says the team will give Rashford the conditions to thrive in this season
A: You've seen him. He got a knock. I think it is not too bad.
Q: So he can play the next game against Liverpool on Saturday or not?
A: No, it's within the 24 hours, but I think that he will progress quickly from this knock.
Q: Marcus had a very disappointing season. There were things off the pitch with him partying and he lost his place in the Euros. Can you get him back to the player he was two years ago?
A: Of course, but he has to prove this point. We will set the conditions and he is very capable of doing this. The season before he scored 30 goals, so when he is in the right vibe, then he has such a high potential.
And when he is really in that mood, then our game model will provide him the conditions to score again 30 or even more goals.
Q: Isn't it down on him to always be in that mood? That's his job, right?
A: He should fight for it, but we are not robots. We are dealing with human beings. And everyone, you are not always on your best.
Q: You've seen with Marcus in that season when he scored 30 goals that there is a capability there to be a world-class player. Yet he has never ever put together back-to-back seasons. Why has he not been able to do that?
I think it's a question for Rashy, if that’s your assessment. So I don't know if that's a really clear pattern, but for me it’s now important and so he is capable of being that impactful player.
Rashford suffered an injury against Real Betis and will miss the Liverpool game
If he is doing, then for our team he’s such an important player because goals obviously make a difference. I expect him to be that player in this season.
Q: You were very clear about discipline being one of the key things you wanted to instil in the squad but there have been incidents of ill-discipline within the squad. Has that disappointed you to be sat in front of us talking about nightclub visits when you've been here for 18 months?
A: I think when you want to play in top football nowadays, you need discipline on and off the pitch. It was always important, but it gets more and more important now because it's the survival of the fittest.
You are not a robot, you are not a machine. No-one is. You can only deliver the levels of performance when you do the things right. When you don't do the things right on and off the pitch, then you can't perform.
Q: Casemiro had a bit of a dip last season and didn't play in the FA Cup final. How is your relationship with him and how do you think he will play for United this season?
A: You have to make choices. We need a squad, and at that time also we needed a squad and what was needed for that particular game. But he is a very important player. He is a leader and he can make a difference for our team.
I talk in general, but it is for all the players. When they are needed … no-one can play every game, it's impossible.
Q: Do you expect him to stay?
A: All the players who are there, if they want to play for us, want to play for the badge and they have the quality, then I hope they keep contributing to our team. We have seen that Casemiro in his career is so successful.
For instance, in the previous season, he was so important to achieve all the success we had there. So when he is on this level, he is a very impactful player for us.
Q: It's been such a long time since Tyrell Malacia last played for the club even though you expected him back in January and then he had that setback. Is he okay?
A: He is now in a good place, but he is not here because I only took players who could play games or be available for team training. He is not that far, but he is now in a progress situation. At a relatively short notice, he can again return into team training and then into team performance in games.
Q: When do you think that might be?
A: I think it would be possible in two months.
Q: Harry Amass is only 17-years-old. Is next season too soon for him or could he play in the first team?
Harry Amass is one of the youngsters to impress in Man United's pre-season
A: We have to make progress, but we all see here a potential where we have seen in previous years, for instance two years ago, (Alejandro) Garnacho last season.
We had it during last season with Kobbie (Mainoo), but he is not that far now at this moment. But if we train him well, if we coach him well, then in three months it's possible that he can be on that point.
But in this moment he needs to catch up and he has to develop some skills already to play for Manchester United, competing for the highest positions in the league.
But with big talent it can go up very quickly and that is very interesting to see if he is capable of doing this.