It’s easy to make “what did I say” comments when something has gone straight to the basement, but after following Erik ten Hag’s press conferences, interviews and statements, we have to agree with the observation made by two Premier League legends and football talkers on Sky Sports already after the Dutchman’s second game as Man United manager. It wasn’t just us who longed for the time of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The period with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm was liberating. Yes, it was a mess last season when Cristiano Ronaldo was also thrown into Solskjaer’s lap after pre-season, but the United legend exuded a confidence, joy at work and had an infectious good mood. Just before Erik ten Hag was sacked, English Goal named Solskjaer deservedly the best United manager since Sir Alex. Or in other words: Charisma, laughter and positive energy give results.
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Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville talk about their first interview with Erik ten Hag, an experience that had the warning lights flashing even then.
“Without dwelling too much on the past, this was a red flag against ten Hag from day one. Two games into his tenure at Manchester United, we had the pleasure of interviewing him at the club’s training centre. He was a polite guy, but there was no X-factor,” Carragher begins in a column in the Telegraph.
“When we drove away from that meeting that day, I looked at Gary and said ‘this must be a super coach, because there’s not a lot of charisma here’,” Carragher reminisces.
Erik ten Hag was not a super coach either.
We have therefore got the good feeling with Ruben Amorim. United have posted photos and videos from Ruben Amorim’s first week and a half as Manchester United coach. The general feeling is the relieved mood. There are smiles, hugs and jokes. No one thinks Sporting’s success coach who played with Manchester City in the Champions League isn’t tough, but with the stone-faced Ten Hag, devoid of charisma, there has clearly been a big miss on the training ground.
Read on English Clubs: Even hand-picked Wout Weghorst didn’t understand Ten Hag’s football
We get flashbacks to when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over from the grumpy Jose Mourinho, who entertained at the press conferences, but who definitely did not open up for the joy of playing and creativity in the players – necessary to perform over time.
Everything you need to know about Manchester United’s matches with Amorim
