Erik ten Hag reveals his Manchester United blueprint includes THREE personal targets to finalise club rebuild

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has shared his blueprint and outlined THREE personal targets he wants to achieve at Old Trafford as part of his rebuild.

Ten Hag, who succeeded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, arrived at United last summer after leaving Ajax and endured a tough start to life with the Red Devils.

The Red Devils suffered an opening 2-1 Premier League defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford before a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Thomas Frank’s Brentford.

However, Ten Hag has seen a remarkable turnaround at United this season and the Red Devils are now in a strong position to finish in the Premier League top four.

The 53-year-old former Ajax boss is also in touching distance of his first piece of major silverware with United reaching the League Cup final.

Since his arrival at United, Ten Hag has strengthened his squad with the signings of Antony, Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Christian Eriksen.

The United boss has revealed his blueprint at Old Trafford extended beyond bringing in new transfer targets.

During his appearance for the Elite Club Coaches Forum at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, Ten Hag claimed that he wants to instil a winning culture.

And his other personal targets for United included building a solid team and harnessing the best potential out of the players under him at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag told UEFA’s official website: “I’m fine and I’m happy there.

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“I was looking for a new challenge and Manchester United was a big club, but obviously less successful [in the] last couple of years, so there’s huge talent to restore that big club [to] where they belong.

“It’s not only about training the team. It’s about changing the culture, getting a winning culture, and that’s what I aim for, but when I say ‘I,’ no: ‘We.’

“We have to do it together. Manchester United is a great club, [there are] big fans all over the world, it’s a very global club.

“I’m really happy to be there, to be part of it. We want to be successful, but it’s got to be long term.

“Every day, I expect the best from myself. I want to challenge myself. And, together with my coaches, I want to get the best out of the players.

“We want to create a good team but I also want to maximise the performances of the players.

“We work 24/7, that’s clear, because you never get rid of football. You never get rid of your team, but you also need to step back at times. I like to jog or bike or to play golf. Or to go to restaurants or the cinema. I also like to go on holiday.

“Of course, I don’t have a lot of time for it. I like to go to Switzerland or Austria and, when the weather’s nice, Italy or Spain.

“But football is always in your head. It’s in your mind. You work with it all the time.”

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Topics: Erik Ten Hag, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Football

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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