Rene Meulensteen was a key figure for Sir Alex Ferguson during the legendary manager's final years at the club and believes Erik ten Hag can still succeed in his preferred manner
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Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen has called on Erik ten Hag to remain true to the principles that got him the job at Old Trafford in the first place - insisting he is just a couple of players away from having what he needs to make a success of it.
Ten Hag arrived from Ajax in 2022 after enjoying success playing a progressive, high-pressing, possession-based style of play, but has had to make concession to that since arriving at Manchester United.
Fellow Dutchman Meulensteen, who was youth team manager and then assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson and later became Fulham manager, believes ten Hag's struggle to put his stamp on this side is less about personnel and more about attitude, however.
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Meulensteen: Erik ten Hag needs to stay to to principles
Speaking to BoyleSports, who offer the latest Premier League Betting, Meuelseteen said: "I hope that Erik ten Hag hasn’t given up on the style of play that he used at Ajax because he does have the players for it at Manchester United, it's just an attitude thing.
"It’s about the way that you set your teams up and making sure that players understand their responsibilities, first and foremost, out of possession.
"Then it’s about the transition period, your reaction time in terms of closing the ball down and leaving your positions to close other players down and certain areas down.
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Rene Meulensteen (left) was Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant in the Scots final years at Manchester United
"The most important thing is to not be afraid of playing with a high line - but you need some pace at the back.
"Harry Maguire isn't the quickest so he needs somebody alongside him that could cover that distance - or you need really speedy full backs.
"It all comes down to how you set your teams out and with Ajax they were always on the front foot, dominating possession. I really hope that he hasn't thrown that out the window because that’s why Manchester United brought him in."
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
