While pre-season might not always be the best way the gauge the level of a club ahead of the new Premier League campaign, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is slowly winning over the fans with his style of play and attitude.
It was obvious from the moment the Red Devils appointed the Dutch tactician that they were going to employ a possession-heavy philosophy at the club. This has been evident from day one under the former Ajax head coach, with the Red Devils players playing intricate passes and pressing intensely without the ball in order to win back possession.
This was exhibited in Manchester United's recent pre-season fixture, a 3-1 victory over fellow English top-flight side Crystal Palace earlier today in Melbourne. As previously mentioned, while this was not a competitive game, the Old Trafford aces showed better understanding of Ten Hag's demands and system by playing silky football throughout the 90 minutes, which culminated in a beautiful team goal in the second half from Marcus Rashford to double their lead.
And if fans needed more reason to be excited by Ten Hag, a short clip has gone viral which will definitely do the work. The Manchester United boss was caught on one of the microphones yelling at goalkeeper David de Gea after he conceded possession, with the gaffer even using expletives.
The reason why this went viral is because it occurred in the final few minutes of normal time when the English giants were already leading 3-1, showing Ten Hag's tendency for perfection. What sparked this short—but foul-mouthed—rant at the Spanish shot-stopper? The manager was not happy after De Gea decided to go long when pressed on the ball instead of passing it to the full-back who dropped deep to receive a short pass.
Erik's reaction could be heard on MUTV's live coverage of the game, with the 52-year-old yelling: "David! What the f*** are you doing?" While the commentators glossed over what was said, everyone else watching the game couldn't help but notice the manager's response.
Despite seeing a man sent off, Manchester United maintained the score line and picked up their third consecutive victory of the pre-season, having beaten Liverpool 4-0 and Melbourne Victory 4-1 previously. Next up for the Red Devils is a friendly against Aston Villa in Perth followed by a rematch against Atletico Madrid in Norway.
