Krishnan Sreekumar
Ex-Manchester United defender Daley Blind urges his former club to back new manager Erik ten Hag
Speaking in an interview with former Netherlands midfielder Andy van der Meijde on Bij Andy in de Auto (h/t Metro), ex-Manchester United star Daley Blind urged his former club to back incoming new manager Erik ten Hag ahead of the new season.
ten Hag will be joining United at the end of the current campaign from Ajax Amsterdam, where Blind plays. The pair led the Dutch side to their third consecutive Eredivisie title this term, which is also the manager’s third in five years.
Blind, who spent four years at Old Trafford between 2014 and 2018, heaped praise on ten Hag by saying that the head coach is a great guy. The Holland international acknowledged that the Red Devils job is not easy, but the manager was a person who takes up the challenge and doesn’t run away.
“Erik ten Hag is a great guy. It’s not an easy job, of course, but he doesn’t run away from it either. He takes up the challenge.”
The 32-year-old defender enjoyed success with the Manchester side during his time at the club, picking up an FA Cup, FA Community Shield, League Cup, and UEFA Europa League. Having joined from Ajax in 2014, he would eventually return to the Amsterdam side in 2018.
“He is one of the best managers around”
His return to the Netherlands saw him team up with ten Hag, where he won a hat-trick of league titles under the manager. Ajax has already announced Alfred Schreuder as their new boss, and it remains to be seen if he can bring about the same success as his predecessor.
Blind urged his former club to back ten Hag, saying that he had the support of club officials Edwin van der Sar and Marc Overmars while at Ajax when things got bad. The former player urged the Red Devils board to give him time and back him as he is one of the best managers around.
“I am quite confident in him at Manchester United but he needs the board behind him. At Ajax he had [Edwin] Van der Sar and [Marc] Overmars behind him whatever happened, also in bad times. I hope he gets the time there, he is one of the best managers around.”
The job at United is not easy, given that they are struggling to find any form or consistency during the current campaign. They have already missed out on qualifying for the Champions League, and could very well miss out on Europa League qualification if they slip up once again next weekend.
Several players in the side have been underwhelming this term, with very few bright spots in the season. ten Hag will need to come in and pick up the pieces, using his methods to get the squad motivated again in order to compete for trophies.
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The board will also need to back him up in the upcoming summer transfer window, with a host of players set to depart at the end of the season when their contracts expire. ten Hag may also be looking to clear the deadwood at the club, but only time will tell if the club hierarchy supports him in this endeavour.
A big summer awaits ten Hag and United, with a massive squad rebuild expected to take place at Old Trafford. As Blind suggested, the Manchester side needs to back him with resources and give him time to succeed, in order to see any progress and gain favourable results.
