Erik ten Hag has been utilising Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's final appointment as Manchester United manager to help the Red Devils during their promising pre-season campaign.
Highly-rated coach Eric Ramsay was snapped up by Solskjaer last summer, five months before his sacking following a run of dire results in November 2021. Recruited from Chelsea to work on set-pieces and individual player development, the former Shrewsbury Town and Swansea City coach has been kept on by new boss Ten Hag after surviving Ralf Rangnick 's chaotic interim period.
This past weekend, United returned from their tour of Thailand and Australia, and there it was revealed how exactly Ramsay was working in the backroom team alongside Ten Hag's trusted lieutenants, Steve McClaren and Mitchell van der Gaag. According to the Athletic, while the aforementioned pair have been in close contact with the new Red Devils boss during training and leading the sessions. Ramsay is described as a 'quieter presence' who offers 'diligent assistance'.
His coaching ability is evidently valued by Ten Hag, who fought to keep Ramsay at Old Trafford amid interest from Barnsley earlier this summer. When the Tykes were still searching for a new manager, the 30-year-old was a name on their shortlist. But as reported by the Manchester Evening News, United were ready to resist any approach.
Ten Hag will be thankful that Ramsay stuck around, as things are going well so far both on the training ground and in friendly matches. The Red Devils won three and drew one of their four games on tour, and are now back in Manchester to prepare for two final friendlies which take place this coming weekend.
From the results, it's clear to see that Ten Hag's philosophy and coaching methods are having a positive impact on the United squad, with a disciplinarian regime seemingly being what the Red Devils have need ever since Sir Alex Ferguson retired nine years ago. Ramsay, along with McClaren and Van de Gaag, are set to be central figures if Ten Hag brings the glory days back to Old Trafford.
Get involved! What should Ten Hag be focussing on ahead of the new season? Join the debate in the comments section.
More immediately, though, the task will be to beat Atletico Madrid, as United taken on Diego Simeone 's side in Oslo on Saturday. That's before a much-changed XI - likely to be made up of fringe players - welcome Rayo Vallecano to Old Trafford a day later.
There's a chance that Solskjaer could be in attendance for the Atletico clash, with the Red Devils visiting his homeland for the first time since 2019. The Norwegian has been touted for multiple managerial roles since his sacking, most recently the Iranian national team job, but remains unemployed after leaving his beloved United eight months ago.
