Manchester United stars have been warned that things will drastically change under new boss Erik ten Hag.
Former United defender Daley Blind arrived at Old Trafford in 2014, and saw the club go through their early struggles before leaving for Ajax in 2018. The situation hasn't improved at United, and now they've drafted in the Ajax boss to get the club back to winning ways again.
Ten Hag has been extremely successful at Ajax, and Blind has a good relationship with his now former manager. But he has fired a warning to United's current stars that Ten Hag is a 'control freak'.
There aren't many better players to give their opinion on both United's struggles and also Ten Hag's expertise. But Blind has done just that as he has hinted to the United stars exactly what they can expect from their new manager this summer.
"A manager who loves to play attacking football, which is what Man United stands for, I think," Blind told United Daily. "A manager who knows what he wants.
"To keep everyone on board and with the same direction to get that winning mentality and winning trophies. In Ajax, he knows that everyone in the club is important and everyone needs to be involved to get to that winning mentality.
"He wants to keep everything close, and I think he is also a control freak. He wants to be on top of everything." But that's exactly what Sir Alex Ferguson was known for at United, as the legendary boss reportedly knew everything that was going on at Old Trafford.
Stories have been shared from former players that Ferguson knew everything from top to bottom, and also demanded the highest standards and respect. And it's clear to see that it's been lost since his departure in 2013.
Former United goalkeeper Ben Foster was one of those to speak out, as he exclusively told Mirror Football last month: "He held everybody accountable and would hold them all to massively high standards. You've got to have a massive work-rate to do that.
"You have got to be always finger on the pulse and he found out about everything as well – no secrets! It was incredible. He knew everything.
"I don't know if football will ever have anybody like that ever again. That longevity. That long at the top. That much respect in the game. He truly was a one-off. Man Utd was his baby. He ran everything."
United fans will be hoping that Ten Hag can emulate a portion of his success, and get the club firing once again. But the Dutchman has a massive job on his hands, as he is the latest to try his luck after David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick have all failed.
