Erik ten Hag, the well-respected head coach of Manchester United, has clearly dismissed rumours about England’s national team manager Gareth Southgate replacing him at Old Trafford.
He showed indifference to the talks on his reign at the club pointing out that his focus is on improving performance of the team and not what media might think.
While there are no firm decisions in place regarding Ten Hag’s role, preparations for the new season began with him as manager, including discussions about new signings and planning for a summer tour.
The club’s new co-owner – Ineos have high regard for Southgate because of his strong links with Sir Dave Brailsford and Dan Ashworth who will most probably be their future sports director. However, Ten Hag remains unmoved by such rumors which he sees as natural when one is heading a big football club.
In his words, “The media seems to love discussing rumors and speculation. But our priorities are different and we don’t care about these topics. We are dedicated to improving the performance of the team as well as forwarding our playing style. In essence, I’m not don’t care about such issues.”
On the midst of this, Ten Hag praised Kobbie Mainoo’s ability to manage attention after an impressive full debut for England where the 18-year-old midfielder produced an outstanding display in a 2-2 draw against Belgium at Wembley that could get him into Euro 2024 squad after only four months from making his first Premier League appearance.
However, Ten Hag believes that Mainoo will not let the sudden spike in his prominence change him. He applauded how quickly Mainoo got used to playing football at the highest level which he attributed to natural talent and a conducive environment in Manchester United Academy.
This growth is evidence of the club’s ability to develop young talents.
“Mainoo”s United performance was exceptional but I’m not surprising,” he said. “You can see how he quickly adapts to rising demands of the game, without a fuss,
“It is full of pleasure and a little source of pride for his achievements.”
Ten Hag also talked about the need for them not to get carried away with Mainoo by saying that as coaches, they are there to step in if necessary. However, he showed optimism about Mainoo’s current attitude by focusing on his love for football and daily self-improvement coupled with aspirations of team winning campaigns.
In addition to Lisandro Martinez’s expected return, attention is on Manchester United ahead of their match against Brentford. Ten Hag is anxious for the comeback of his central defender who had been out with an injury in his knee since he feels that Martinez brings more calmness and winning spirit into this side than anyone else. The team is full of confidence after their thrilling win against Liverpool in FA Cup quarter final and hopes they can sustain it going forward.