Erik ten Hag has been tapping into the expertise of the man who masterminded Jonas Vingegaard’s Tour de France triumph last year.
Ten Hag is close friends with Merijn Zeeman, the director of crack Dutch cycling team Jumbo Visma.
Zeeman, whose riders are once again expected to feature heavily at the front of this year’s Tour, revealed before Saturday's Grand Depart in Bilbao, that he has been giving the United manager advice on how to get the best out of his players.