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Ineos want to substitute Mitchell van der Gaag as Erik ten Hag’s assistant at Manchester United.
The supervisor’s quantity two will not be a well-liked determine among the many United gamers in line with a brand new report from The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell.
In a lengthy and rambling exposé of Ten Hag’s United, Whitwell spoke of participant dissent and disharmony, along with his teaching strategies an space of specific concern.
“Tactically, Ten Hag could be very revered, however there’s little room for manoeuvre in his imaginative and prescient. Van der Gaag has an identical character and a few gamers noticed him and Ten Hag as “unhealthy cop, unhealthy cop”, Whitwell notes.
Gamers expressed frustration at coaching schedules being saved secret from them till the final minute and a couple of lack of days off throughout a busy schedule. Nonetheless, Ten Hag and Van der Gaag argued that raucous nights out corresponding to one attended by 5 gamers in Las Vegas throughout the pre-season tour could possibly be averted if the gamers had been unable to plan their free time prematurely.
Regardless of a ridiculously sturdy work ethic, Van der Gaag’s “relationship with some gamers and different workers members has not at all times been easy, nonetheless, as a consequence of his sharp, often caustic feedback”, the reporter notes.
He additionally means that the coach has typically discovered himself at loggerheads with the opposite assistant supervisor, Steve McClaren.
Sir Dave Brailsford’s in-depth moratorium of United’s setup following Ineos’ takeover of soccer operations led to “conversations round Ten Hag getting a brand new No 2 in the summertime to carry the temper at Carrington.”
Nonetheless, up to now, Ten Hag has been ready to withstand Brailsford’s drive to exchange his trusted lieutenant.
Nonetheless, “the difficulty of Van der Gaag’s function might but resurface,” Whitwell concludes.
The reporter goes on to notice that to a big extent, the dour working atmosphere could possibly be the results of Ten Hag having little enter or help from the outdated regime above him.
“In that setting, Ten Hag took the initiative and leaned into the cussed facet of his character to attempt to wrest management of the group,” Whitwell says.
“Those that know him really feel he could have relaxed a little bit had he been capable of dovetail with a extra assertive character at government degree.
“One participant acknowledged these wider points when privately confiding the membership had been run ‘like a circus’.”
Towards the top of the season, the supervisor eased up on numerous his extra draconian measures, permitting 10 days’ discover of schedules and giving the gamers extra days off. Whether or not that led to the profitable marketing campaign finale is a matter for hypothesis.
If having a powerful construction of soccer males round him permits Ten Hag to calm down, then the suggestion is that Van der Gaag’s dour persona could change into extra palatable to the gamers. A powerful begin to the season might subsequently be important in figuring out each males’s futures at Previous Trafford.
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