Steve McClaren says he has a “good feeling” about Manchester United’s chances this season after seeing the noise and confidence building in the dressing room as the transfer saga surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo continues to rumble on.
United’s assistant coach, whose experience at the club connects Sir Alex Ferguson’s era with the new broom of Erik ten Hag, is well placed to give his verdict.
And he insists the squad shaping under the Dutchman’s new methods have given him a buzz through pre-season and ahead of their season opener against Brighton this weekend. McClaren said: “This group have been fantastic. I get a great feeling.
“I’ve been into many, many dressing rooms and many dressing rooms for the first two, three, four weeks you kind of know and can smell it. I’ve got a good feeling about this dressing room.” These are great players to work with. They were a little quiet the first week when the training was very demanding.
“But as we got to know the players, as we got more and more into training sessions and they know the demands, the intensity, the competition, the winning and losing, the banter that goes along with it, you can feel the noise and the volume in training, in the dressing room, around the hotel and around Carrington, start to build. That’s what I like, that’s why I enjoy coaching, that’s why I enjoy coming back here because these are damn-good players. You can see that.”
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Ronaldo’s situation, with the striker pushing for an exit given the lack of Champions League action, and the and unsuccessful battle to prise Frenkie De Jong from Barcelona have cast two shadows over United’s pre-season. But the signings of Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Eriksen and Tyrell Malacia have given the dressing room a timely boost. McLaren accepts that by their own standards, United are starting from a low base under Ten Hag after underachieving last campaign – a fifth season without silverware.
But the assistant coach maintains that a line has been drawn behind them with the appointment of Ten Hag. “Last season, seasons are gone. The history is gone. It’s past,” he said. “It’s about the future and we’ve got an opportunity to create that in a certain style and Erik wants to see that happen.
“The vibe that I’m getting from the players is that they want it too. They want that discipline, they want to know what their jobs are. They want feedback on it. Because they want to win. I’m afraid at Manchester United you have to win.” United had just on blip in their pre-season with a defeat to Atletico Madrid in Oslo following wins over Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace, plus draws with Aston Villa and Rayo Vallecano.
