Sir Alex Ferguson’s main priority as Manchester United manager was finishing the season with as many trophies as possible, according to former assistant manager Rene Meulensteen.
Ferguson retired from management in 2013, having won 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, five FA Cups, four League Cups, and the Club World Cup with the Red Devils. However, United have only won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League in the nine years since he called time on management.
Ajax manager Erik Ten Hag is expected to be named as the next permanent manager when Ralf Rangnick’s interim spell comes to an end. And Meulensteen highlighted the winning mentality Ferguson imposed on the club during his legendary career at Old Trafford.
“I came at the end when he was already very successful and my goal was simple: keep it going,” Meulensteen wrote on the Manchester United's official club website. “I wanted to help make sure we maintained our success.
“At the start of every season it was always the same set of goals: win the Premier League, try to win the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup, in that order. The question we’d ask ourselves was what are we going to win?
“We always wanted to win something. That level of expectation brings a certain level of commitment, high demands and it could bring a lot of pressure.”
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United have only mustered two second place finishes in the Premier League since Ferguson retired, with neither really being convincing title challenges. Jose Mourinho ’s United team trailed Manchester City by 19 points when they finished as runners-up in 2018, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ’s side finished the campaign 12 points behind Pep Guardiola’s side.
The Red Devils are even further behind their fierce rivals this season, and they are unlikely to finish in the top four again this campaign after another miserable campaign. United are currently languishing in seventh position, three points behind fourth placed Tottenham Hotspur with eight matches to go.
They also suffered early exits in the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Champions League, failing to reach the quarter-finals in either tournament. Their season has also presented a fractured and uncomfortable atmosphere at United’s Carrington Training Ground.
While Ferguson garnered a reputation for being a very stern task-master, Meulensteen stated the training ground was anything but tense at Carrington. The former Fulham manager divulged into a typically relaxed mood that Ten Hag may have to replicate, if he is to be announced as the next manager.
“Never, ever as a first-team coach did I feel stressed out about anything and that was basically because of the environment he (Ferguson) created in and around the staff at Carrington,” Meulensteen added. “I never felt restricted to go and knock on his door to go and discuss something or to speak my opinion.
“He was always open for discussions and I think one of his biggest attributes as a leader was that he was a very good listener. Very, very good. He would take things on board if they made sense to him.”
