Worried Manchester United players fearing Erik ten Hag’s arrival have bombarded team-mate Donny van de Beek for information on their new boss.
Ajax boss ten Hag is set to be named as United’s new permanent manager in the coming days after verbally agreeing to take the Old Trafford job. Van de Beek emerged under ten Hag at Ajax and earned his £40million move to United on the back of his impressive form for the Dutch champions.
Although Van de Beek is currently on loan at Everton, his United team-mates have been contacting him to get the inside track on Ten Hag and the 52-year-old’s methods. Van de Beek is understood to have told his United team-mates how demanding Ten Hag is to play for and warned them they are in for a shock when he takes over.
A United source said: “The players have been asking Donny about Ten Hag because he’s played under him before. He told them his training sessions are on a different level to what they’ve been used to and they’ll have to run like they’ve never run before.
"Donny told them he’s really intense, a perfectionist, who does one-on-one training himself with the players. He controls every aspect of his players, including their diets. The basic message was he’s not one to cross - it sounds like one strike and you’re out.”
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Holland international Van de Beek is hopeful of resurrecting his United career under his former boss, with whom he has a close relationship having worked together at Ajax. Van de Beek has struggled since joining United nearly two years ago, making one Premier League start this season, before going out on loan.
He was not rated by former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or interim coach Ralf Rangnick, and went on loan to Everton in January in a desperate bid to play and reclaim his international place.
