Here are your Manchester United morning headlines for Thursday, April 21.
Erik ten Hag characteristics profiled
Leon ten Voorde has known Erik ten Hag since they were four. The 'Tukkers', the nickname for residents of Twente, would cycle to school together and it amuses Ten Voorde his friend, who was always late in the morning, is now a 'disciplinarian control freak' at Ajax.
In an illuminating and insightful piece for the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad , Ten Voorde, who is still in touch with Ten Hag, recalled the 'rebellious adolescent at a dancing lesson who didn’t hesitate to punch a lout twice his size'. He has known Ten Hag, the United manager-elect, for 48 years, their shared experiences ranging from football to their occupation as altar boys.
READ MORE: Rangnick suggests United could sign 10 players after Liverpool embarrassment
Ten Hag was the captain of their youth team club Bon Boys, where he is still a member. It was there he developed the leadership characteristics that are just as, if not more, important than his coaching credentials as he prepares to detoxify the United dressing room. As a budding coach at Twente, the first thing Ten Hag told those in the junior team was their annual holiday had been slashed by two weeks.
Chief Manchester United writer Samuel Luckhurst has the full story.
Hannibal Mejbri's message after Liverpool defeat
Arguably the only positive to come out of United’s 4-0 humiliation against Liverpool was the fight shown by Hannibal Mejbri.
The 19-year-old came on for his second senior United appearance and certainly left his mark. The Tunisia international crashed into Jordan Henderson and Andrew Robertson to earn himself a booking during his 10-minute cameo. While his erratic outing may need to be honed and fine-tuned going forward, the youngster earned many plaudits for showing dogged determination, unlike his teammates. Speaking on his podcast after the game, Gary Neville said: “That kid came on and he showed something.
“He reminded me of Nobby Stiles and of Eric Harrison and the basic principles of being a football player. Compete, win your duels, fight for every ball and there’s only one kid who came on and demonstrated that he had the heart and the soul to play for Manchester United Football Club - him.”
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