Much has been said about Erik ten Hag’s ability to develop up-and-coming players as he bids to help them reach their full potential.
Manchester United fans will be expecting him to replicate this trait at Old Trafford with a plethora of young talent on the cusp of first-team breakthroughs. And if they look at his first Ajax line-up, they may be even more encouraged.
His first competitive match wasn’t an easy task, with old rivals Feyenoord the opponents, but he managed to secure a 2-0 win. The team that took to the field on January 21, 2018 included Hakim Ziyech, Donny van de Beek, Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong.
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The following season, they all played an integral part in Ajax’s run to the Champions League semi-finals. Respective moves to Chelsea, United, Juventus and Barcelona followed in due course.
United supporters would adore Ten Hag if he could reproduce the feats of his first 18 months at the Dutch giants. The difference for Ten hag this time would be that his club would be able to hold their prize assets instead of being forced to sell them on.
Beyond this, United fans can hope for some longevity too. Two of his original line-up are still very much part of his set-up with left-back Nicolas Tagliafico and goalkeeper Andre Onana regulars, albeit the latter is poised to move to Inter Milan this summer after missing the first half of the season.
Ten Hag is not afraid to be cut-throat either. Justin Kluivert, son of club legend Patrick, started against Feyenoord on his debut in the dugout but was offloaded to Roma six months later after being deemed not up to scratch.
The 52-year-old also shows faith in his signings. Daley Blind, Dusan Tadic and Tagliafico were all bought in his first 12 months at the club and are staples in his side.
In fact, the trio all started in Saturday’s 3-0 win over PEC Zwolle. It all indicates that Ten Hag is steadfast in what he envisages in order for his philosophy to work and has the ability to institute it quickly. This bodes well for United, who are in need of a significant revamp this summer.
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