Surajit Das
Erik Ten Hag cracks down on Manchester United starlet Zidane Iqbal in training
In a video posted by BeanymanSports on Twitter (h/t Metro), Erik ten Hag has been seen delivering a slur towards Manchester United youngster Zidane Iqbal following a mistake in a pre-season training session.
Following United’s recent fall from grace, ten Hag is bringing discipline back to the team, and he has already taken potshots at players who are disobeying him.
Erik ten Hag has only been at Old Trafford for two months, but he is already building a reputation for being a strict taskmaster. The Dutchman leaves no stone unturned and expects the same from his players.
The rigorous Dutchman has cracked down on Manchester United’s players, forbidding alcohol during match weeks, enforcing tight timekeeping regulations with fines for infractions, and requiring press-ups in practice whenever a goal is conceded.
On the team’s preseason tour of Asia and Australia, where they have won three games in a row, including a 4-0 thrashing of rivals Liverpool, Ten Hag has also been frequently spotted yelling orders at his players during open training sessions.
The most recent video shows Ten Hag delivering slurs to United rookie Zidane Iqbal, who is also a member of the academy group on tour. Iqbal lost the ball to the opponent during a possession-based training drill, which earned him a stern reprimand from his manager.
“Keep the ball on the floor. Zidane… hey. Keep the ball. F****** rubbish!”
Iqbal is the most recent player to be subject to Ten Hag’s demands, but the youngster has impressed the United manager thus far in the preseason, and he has given him some hope that he could force his way into first-team plans.
After all, Erik ten Hag gained a reputation at Amsterdam for not just having a hard attitude but also for believing in young players, bringing out the best in them, and integrating them into the team. Iqbal can benefit much from this.
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Iqbal played 25 games for the youth team last season across all competition, contributing four goals and one assist. He has received much admiration for his performances, and he may have several opportunities to win the trust of the manager throughout the preseason.
The youngster should maintain a healthy attitude towards such criticism as it would only help him grow as a football player. It remains to be seen how he reacts to this tough love.
