Erik ten Hag has revealed that he feels Sir Alex Ferguson's influence over Manchester United "every day."
The Red Devils boss, who arrived at a miserable Old Trafford last summer and looks to have put the club back on the right track after years of false dawns, recently met Ferguson for dinner in Wilmslow, Cheshire. The pair were spotted enjoying a bite to eat and some drinks on Tuesday at the start of a huge week for Ten Hag's United.
First up is Thursday's Europa League showdown with Barcelona before a trip to Wembley on Sunday for the Carabao Cup final, where they'll face Newcastle. Former Red Devils striker Robin van Persie sat down with the current United manager for BT Sport to preview the Barcelona clash and asked him whether he feels Ferguson's influence around the club.
"Every day," Ten Hag replied. "Every day he's here and you feel it. He brought the winning mentality, attitude and culture to this club. [Being] hard to beat, confidence, belief - he brought it and it's great to talk with him."
The Dutchman, who this week has the opportunity to end the Red Devils' six-year trophy drought, also lifted the lid on his meeting with Ferguson during his pre-match press conference. "I always enjoy speaking with people who have a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience and he wants to share it, he wants to help and support," Ten Hag explained.
"Man United is his club and he feels so committed. We are doing well. It was a great night and I look forward to the next night with him."
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His focus will now be on beating Barcelona after a thrilling 2-2 draw in the first leg at the Camp Nou last Thursday. A late equaliser from Barca star Raphinha denied United a statement win, having led for a period after in-form Red Devil Marcus Rashford netted and Jules Kounde inadvertently scored an own goal.
Ten Hag is aiming to emulate Ferguson's work of beating Barcelona in a memorable 2008 Champions League semi-final second leg when Paul Scholes took the roof off of Old Trafford with an emphatic winning strike. "It must have been [magical]," he told club media. "What we want to do is build a new future.
"We know Barcelona is a big team, it's a big club, but we are really excited to face them. We really want to go for this challenge. That is all that counts.'' Ten Hag added: "We need all the energy, all the focus, everything we have to put in, to get the right result. We have to win. When we finish this game, we move on.''
