Manchester United's Erik ten Hag was officially unveiled to the media two weeks ago. The Dutchman stayed in Manchester for a few more days after that press conference and he's now enjoying a break with his wife and three children.
There was talk of Ten Hag refusing to take a holiday but that was inadvisable. Ten Hag has just accepted the biggest challenge of his career and his time at Old Trafford will be consuming. He should enjoy his holiday this summer more than others.
Ten Hag needs that holiday to return to Manchester as the best, mentally recharged version of himself. Ten Hag has managed Go Ahead Eagles, Bayern Munich II, Utrecht and Ajax — which isn't the ordinary path to becoming manager of United — and everyone connected with the club is hoping he's not an ordinary manager. United need Ten Hag to be more than that.
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Ten Hag's early arrival means United are ahead of their summer schedule already. That groundwork from Ten Hag should pay dividends in the transfer market and eventually at Carrington. Ten Hag has set the tone from the first minute of his tenure.
United's players will report for pre-season on June 27 and the Premier League season will begin on August 13 — the season starts earlier due to the winter World Cup. That means the players have less than seven weeks of summer preparation with Ten Hag, fewer for some.
United will also visit Australia, the Far East and Norway during that period. Ten Hag wants United to be a pressing side and fitness work in pre-season will be key for the new campaign. So it's clear United's batch of talented youngsters will need to demonstrate their commitment and quality.
Alvaro Fernandez, Hannibal Mejbri, Charlie Savage, Shola Shoretire and Alejandro Garnacho all trained with the first-team in the latter stages of Ralf Rangnick's interim reign. All five players will be looking to impress Ten Hag during pre-season.
Left-back Fernandez is yet to make his first-team debut but he's had a taste of making the matchday squad. Hannibal made a strong appearance when starting against Crystal Palace and Garnacho's performances in the FA Youth Cup earned him a senior debut against Chelsea.
James Garner will also return from his Nottingham Forest loan to United to be assessed by Ten Hag. The Manchester Evening News revealed last week that Ten Hag will watch Garner first-hand before deciding on the midfielder's future, which means there will be a big opportunity for the young midfielder.
Garner and his fellow academy graduates will be looking to take any opportunities they're given over those seven weeks of summer. Ten Hag always has a blend of youth and experience in his sides and the club's youngsters could be crucial in United's rebuild.
Lee Grant, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani are all leaving United on free transfers upon the expiration of their contracts on June 30 and that leaves places in the squad that the youngsters will be fighting for.
More outgoings are expected following those departures and United won't be making 10 new signings, as Rangnick suggested at one point. That means the club's youngsters can be permanently promoted to the first team, but they'll have to prove they're ready in pre-season.
There will be no leisurely feeling about United's pre-season this summer.
Every player at the club will be fighting for a place in Ten Hag's plans.
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