Erik ten Hag has three rules that his Manchester United players must follow pinned up inside the dressing room.
That's according to midfielder Fred, who believes the Dutchman's disciplined approach is helping United improve tenfold this season. After enduring their worst-ever Premier League campaign last time out, Ten Hag has done a remarkable job of restoring confidence and turning results around.
The manager has been determined to end the club's long wait for a trophy and has already got them to their first domestic cup final since 2018 with a Carabao Cup Wembley date set with Newcastle United on February 26.
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A big change has been Ten Hag's strict management of a squad that had become unruly during previous regimes. He forced the players to run 13km the day after they lost 4-0 to Brentford as that's how much the Bees had outrun them in the defeat. The deft handling of Cristiano Ronaldo has also justified his approach.
Ten Hag punished the forward by leaving him out of a match following his refusal to come off the bench against Tottenham but afterwards reinstated him to the side. When Ronaldo then went on to criticise him and the club in his infamous interview with Piers Morgan, his contract was mutually terminated shortly afterwards.
Now Fred has given yet more insight into the way Ten Hag runs the dressing room. "He has put rules [up] inside the dressing room," the Brazilian told The Times.
"Don't be late, don't do wrong things, always do what you can to help your partner – and that's important."
Not even United's best players are safe from punishment as Marcus Rashford found himself dropped to the bench for a match against Wolves after missing a team meeting due to oversleeping. The striker reacted well and came on to score the winner, something Ten Hag was pleased with.
“Everyone has to meet standards and the rules,” Ten Hag said of his decision to omit Rashford. “We have to be consistent. That is also what I expect on the pitch otherwise we can’t be successful.
“I think he gave the right answer. After the decision, he came in and was bright, he was lively, he scored a goal. It was the right reaction. Everyone has to follow rules and values.”
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