Erik ten Hag isn't indulging in any praise as he rebuilds Manchester United, politely brushing off Martin Tyler 's kind words before guiding the Red Devils to another win.
Marcus Rashford 's empahtic header was enough to secure a hard-fought 1-0 victory over West Ham on Sunday, making it a perfect week for United and stretching their unbeaten run to eight games. Ten Hag's side had easily beaten Moldovan minnows FC Sheriff in the Europa League last Thursday 3-0, a performance which prompted commentary legend Tyler to offer his congratulations in the hours leading up to Sunday's triumph.
As Ten Hag emerged from the Old Trafford tunnel to check out the Old Trafford pitch, Tyler was heard saying: "Well done the other night, it was a good watch." Still appreciative of the 77-year-old's comments, Ten Hag replied after shaking Tyler's hand and asking how he was doing in gentlemanly fashion: "New game! New day, new game."
Ten Hag's methodical approach has worked a treat for the Red Devils so far, recovering from a nightmare start in the Old Trafford hot seat to now sit one point off the Premier League top four with a game in hand. They're also well in with a chance of topping their Europa League group, as they travel to face current leaders Real Sociedad in northern Spain this Thursday.
As well as being a highly-rated tactician, Ten Hag's people skills have garnered him praise behind the scenes. In and around Carrington, his dry humour and gentlemanly conduct have gone down well with staff on and off the pitch. Sunday's match-winner, Rashford, is particularly loving life under his new manager and feels that the Dutchman has injected excitement into the club.
"It's a complete different energy around the club and the training ground," the 25-year-old told Sky Sports when asked about his own and the team's turnaround under Ten Hag. "That puts me in a better headspace and I just feel really motivated now. That's the area I was struggling in."
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As for the man himself, he's not getting carried away. That's despite Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola warning that "United are coming" amid their good run of form. "I think it's a little bit too quick," Ten Hag admitted in reaction to his rival's comments last week.
"Second half [against West Ham], I have to be critical, I also said the players, we have to manage things better. But the spirit we have is fabulous, also we have the qualities to score goals and we have attacking football and the fact is we have to improve that, but if we keep going, I think we are in the right direction. But to be a threat for them, then we have a long way to go."
