Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Elliott Jackson

Erik ten Hag using Tour de France secret weapon to continue Manchester United revolution

Erik ten Hag has been looking at success in other sports to try and coax the best out of Manchester United.

The Dutchman is always looking for small margins of improvement and it's been revealed he has sought help from the man who masterminded Jonas Vingegaard’s Tour de France triumph last year. The United manager is close friends with Merijn Zeeman, the director of the Dutch cycling team, Jumbo Visma.

Zeeman, who first acquainted himself with Ten Hag at Ajax, has revealed his role in trying to help the United squad. He advised Ten Hag that the group needed more one-to-one contact after bringing him with the team during their World Cup break in Spain.

READ MORE: Manchester United have not missed any of the farewell five

Want to join our MUFC Pro club for a totally ad-free version of the MEN’s Man United app packed with premium features? Click here

Erik recognised that in successful teams in football and cycling, there is a lot of overlap," he said. “I like to look at what he is doing at Manchester United.

“In sport, people often think that if we put a puppet in place it will work. But it starts with a culture, then a structure, then a strategy and then you move on.

“Erik and I recognise this in each other and we think very much alike. We make it clear to everyone about what is our goal and how do we get there.”

He added: “In the winter, I visited Erik for a number of the Manchester United training sessions in Spain. Erik said ‘tell me what you see, give me some feedback.' He is very open to that.

“I must say that our culture in cycling is much more open between athletes and staff. We have a much stronger communication and relationship.

“With the footballers, I found the distance greater - and that was really visible in the hotel. There was much more of a hierarchy.

“So when Erik asked me for feedback, I told him that if he wants to develop players then there has to be much more one-to-one contact.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.