There’s no doubt that Erik ten Hag faces a huge task at Manchester United this summer, and he may even need to adopt a 'back to basics' approach.
The new United boss is undertaking a major rebuild at Old Trafford. Following a disastrous 2021/22 season, there are plenty of positions that are in need of strengthening.
And had Ten Hag been watching on during United’s final few weeks of the season, it’s fair to say he won’t have been impressed by what he saw. United well and truly limped to the finish line in the Premier League as they just about scraped a Europa League place, having finished sixth after losing five of their last eight games.
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During that dismal run was a defeat at Arsenal which, despite a comparatively better performance, saw United come away having been beaten 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium. It was the game that effectively ended their top-four hopes, and saw an impassioned assessment from midfielder Scott McTominay afterwards.
In an interview with BT Sport, the Scotland international didn’t hold back, claiming there were “a lot of things going on” in the dressing room. When the subject of Ten Hag came up, McTominay delivered a message to his teammates.
"When the new coach comes in, we need to be ready for everything," McTominay said. "We need to be concentrating on our jobs. We impress him and then we can build from there.”
Asked what Ten Hag would have thought of their performance, McTominay added: "Obviously it's difficult for me when you’re playing. You are so lost in the game. I wouldn't like to say. He's looking at next season in terms of how we can improve and what we can do; the players we can bring in and how much they can add to the group.
"For myself, it's a bit of balls in your performances, man. That's what it comes down to, the fundamentals of football. It's difficult for me to speak because you're so high in emotions, and the last two months... but it comes down to the basics and we never do them well enough in big games recently.”
McTominay will be among the group of players returning to training next week. And the midfielder may well find out whether Ten Hag is taking his squad back to basics ahead of the new season.
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