Erik ten Hag has seemingly left no stone unturned in his bid to improve the culture at Manchester United, a new report has revealed.
The Dutchman was handed the top job at Old Trafford back in April after impressing at Ajax, where he won three Dutch titles in four years. However, he is now at the helm of a club who have been starved of success in recent years and have not tasted Premier League glory since Sir Alex Ferguson retired back in 2013.
United's calamitous campaign last year, which saw them record their worst-ever finish in the Premier League era, underlined the mammoth job that Ten Hag has on his hands. But the 52-year-old has steadied the ship impressively after a tumultuous start to life on these shores and was named as the Manager of the Month for September prior this weekend's Manchester derby.
In the wake of that turnaround, a new report from The Telegraph has shed some light on a few of the key changes Ten Hag has implemented behind the scenes at Old Trafford in a bid to overhaul the culture at the club.
It is claimed that WiFi has been switched off in areas at the club which are frequented by the first team to encourage players to interact with others rather than burrowing into their mobile phones. Phones have also been banned at mealtimes.
Players have also been encouraged to celebrate goals together, while Ten Hag is also keen for the squad to eat together both before training and after games to boost camaraderie.
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Players from overseas have also been told to learn English as Ten Hag continues his mission to overhaul standards at one of Europe's most reputable clubs.
Ten Hag's approach at Old Trafford is similar to the strict stance he adopted during his time working alongside Manchester City chief Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, where he coached the German giant's second team.
It's an approach that has been commended on more than one occasion by United midfield star Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese playmaker, who has quickly become one of the most influential players at the club since he arrived from Sporting Lisbon in 2020, is a big fan of Ten Hag's hardline stance.
He told The Athletic earlier this month: "You have to follow [ten Hag's] rules. He is strict on that. And I like that. He has brought discipline, which is something I think we missed in the past. Everyone must be on the same page."
And he doubled down on that stance when speaking with Soccer AM at the weekend when he admitted that discipline was something that had been lacking in the past.
"[Ten Hag] brought discipline to the team and we had a lack of discipline the last few times," Fernandes added. "He brought something that everyone always has to be aware of his position and aware of if you're playing or not."
