Erik ten Hag has implemented a series of new measures to help Manchester United achieve vital incremental gains.
The Dutchman knew the scale of the task at Old Trafford, inheriting a squad coming off the back of the club’s worst ever Premier League season. Both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick failed to get a tune out of the disgruntled and divided playing staff, who have been in a period of perpetual decline.
Ten Hag oversaw a dramatic overhaul during his first summer in charge, with a host of senior players including Paul Pogba and Juan Mata leaving the club. Revolution has continued apace since as well, with Cristiano Ronaldo acrimoniously turfed out after it became clear he was unwilling to adapt to the new regime.
The former Ajax boss was also backed heavily in the transfer market - spending more than £200million on high-profile arrivals like Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro. But it’s not just matters on the pitch that Ten Hag is aggressively upgrading.
The Sun report that Ten Hag personally advocated for United’s drones to be improved, in order to give better feedback to players from sessions. The new flying cameras will enable the eagle-eyed boss to watch every movement from each of his stars to be able to best track their progression - or in some cases, decline.
He has also enlisted experts from the world of cycling and the Tour de France, in order to keep improving the levels at Carrington.
"I knew it would be a difficult project,” Ten Hag said during their recent training camp in Spain. “Manchester United was not in the circumstances that you would expect of them and I think now we’re in the right direction but we’re far away from where we need to be. I see the progress from observation and also from the data that confirms the progression.”
During that camp in Jerez, it is claimed as many as 20 coaches were on the sidelines, all given specific areas to observe upon, feedback and ultimately improve. And along with coaches and assistants, Ten Hag also recommended the presence of Dutch firm The Talent Academy Group (TAG).
The company is composed of life coaches and psychologists, who are said to be in contact with United’s players twice a week. Memphis Depay is included as one of their past success stories, having helped the Netherlands international rebuild his career following his desperate spell with the Red Devils.
TAG will be present to help United’s cohort of World Cup stars as they return from Qatar with vastly different experiences. Lisandro Martinez will come back to Manchester as a world champion, having already set his sights on winning honours with his club side.
However, there will also be a number of those international stars in need of pick me ups following disappointing campaigns in the Gulf State. Raphael Varane for example made it all the way to the final with France, but will now need to recover both mentally and physically after suffering penalty heartbreak vs Argentina last weekend.
“I see us progressing and now the first objective is to get back on track because when they come back from the World Cup they have been in different styles and systems,” Ten Hag added.
"Players come back and they have been playing six weeks in a different environment and different style of play and then they have to get back to our style and system and our rules and principles and it’s a team sport. So all XI have to be on the same page."
