Ten Hag full of praise for his players

Friday 08 July 2022 16:30

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has praised his players' efforts in training at Carrington as focus now shifts to the start of Tour 2022.

The squad has flown out to Thailand to prepare for Tuesday's game against Liverpool in Bangkok, the first of the pre-season matches being shown live on MUTV.

Before boarding the plane, Ten Hag discussed his early work at our training base and has obviously wasted no time in injecting his effervescence and ideas into the players during the sessions.

"Of course, I want to bring the energy in my team," he told MUTV's Stewart Gardner. "But I must say, the players do really well. They are really focused. They bring, for themselves, the energy.

"You see they enjoy playing football. They enjoy playing football together and they really work well together."

Tour 2022 squad officially announced

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Find out who is making the flight to Bangkok for the start of our pre-season campaign.

It may still be early days in his tenure but the Dutchman is keen to get to know more about his players during the stay in Thailand and Australia. Keen to stress the need to build such personal relationships with the men he will rely on for the campaign ahead, Ten Hag believes this is one fundamental aspect of being away together for such a period of time.

"I have to learn, to know my squad, the personnel, the individuals, the players," he said.

"That is, I think, one of the biggest advantages from the tour. We have two weeks to work really close together and we will learn about each other because I want to learn about them and they want to learn about me, my coaches and assistants.”

Much has been made of the former Ajax coach's style and approach to the game and fans are fascinated by the prospect of seeing how the Reds develop in this regard over the course of time.

“We want to play a proactive style of football," he stressed. "On the ball and off the ball. Trying to do that has to be our intention. The coaches bring it over to the team that we are, in every situation, proactive.

“We are brave and willing to have the ball, to give each other options. But also off the ball, to get the pressing style is what we’re working for together." 

Training highlights: Getting set for Tour Video

Training highlights: Getting set for Tour

The Reds continue to put in the work at Carrington ahead of Friday's departure for Bangkok...

Look out for the full interview with Erik ten Hag, in two parts, on our club media channels this weekend.

Watch every pre-season game live on MUTV, the United App and ManUtd.com, starting with the big clash with Liverpool on Tuesday in Bangkok.

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